title: Expression of Five Endopolygalacturonase Genes and Demonstration that MfPG1 Overexpression Diminishes Virulence in the Brown Rot Pathogen Monilinia fructicola.
abstract: Monilinia fructicola is a devastating pathogen on stone fruits, causing blossom blight and fruit rot. Little is known about pathogenic mechanisms in M. fructicola and related Monilinia species. In this study, five endopolygalacturonase (endo-PG) genes were cloned and functionally characterized in M. fructicola. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that the five MfPG genes are differentially expressed during pathogenesis and in culture under various pH regimes and carbon and nitrogen sources. MfPG1 encodes the major endo-PG and is expressed to significantly higher levels compared to the other four MfPGs in culture and in planta. MfPG1 function during pathogenesis was evaluated by examining the disease phenotypes and gene expression patterns in M. fructicola MfPG1-overexpressing strains and in strains carrying the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene fused with MfPG1 (MfPG1-GUS). The MFPG1-GUS reporter was expressed in situ in conidia and hyphae following inoculation of flower petals, and qRT-PCR analysis confirmed MfPG1 expression during pathogenesis. MfPG1-overexpressing strains produced smaller lesions and higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the petals of peach and rose flowers than the wild-type strain, suggesting that MfPG1 affecting fungal virulence might be in part resulted from the increase of ROS in the Prunus-M. fructicola interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fang-Yi
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Ling
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jia-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bostock
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuang-Ren
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jenn-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; NCHU-UCD Plant and Food Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Miin-Huey
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D011096:Polygalacturonase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D027861:Prunus / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011096:Polygalacturonase