title: VdCrz1 is involved in microsclerotia formation and required for full virulence in Verticillium dahliae.
abstract: Calcium signaling plays crucial roles in ion stress tolerance, sporulation and pathogenicity in fungi. Although the signaling pathway mediated by calcineurin and the calcineurin-responsive zinc finger transcription factor Crz1 is well characterized in other fungi, this pathway is not well characterized in the phytopathogenic fungus, Verticillium dahliae. To better understand the role of this calcineurin-dependent transcription factor in V. dahliae, an ortholog of CRZ1, VdCrz1, was identified and characterized functionally. Transcriptional analysis of VdCrz1 and GFP expression driven by the VdCrz1 promoter indicated that VdCrz1 was involved in microsclerotia development. After targeted deletion of VdCrz1, microsclerotia formation and melanin accumulation were impaired. Furthermore, the ΔVdCrz1 mutants were hypersensitive to high concentrations of Ca(2+) and cell wall-perturbing agents, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate. The addition of Mg(2+) to the medium restores the microsclerotia formation in ΔVdCrz1 mutants. The ΔVdCrz1 mutants exhibited delayed Verticillium wilt symptoms on smoke tree. These results suggest that VdCrz1 plays important roles in Ca(2+) signaling, cell wall integrity, microsclerotia development and full virulence in V. dahliae.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Dianguang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: ylwang@bjfu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yonglin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jingyi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: chengmt@bjfu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chengming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D020865:Calcium Channels, P-Type / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D021381:Protein Transport; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D020172:Verticillium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D020865:Calcium Channels, P-Type; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Ca(2+) signaling; Microsclerotia development; Pathogenicity; Verticillium dahliae