title: Characterization of 47 Cys2 -His2 zinc finger proteins required for the development and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.
abstract: The Cys2 -His2 (C2H2) zinc finger protein family is the second-largest family of transcription factors (TFs) in Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal fungus responsible for the destructive rice blast disease. However, little is known about the roles of most C2H2 TFs in the development and pathogenicity of M. oryzae. The roles of 47 C2H2 genes in development and pathogenicity were investigated by gene deletion in M. oryzae. The TF-dependent genes in mycelia or appressoria were analyzed with RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Forty-four C2H2 genes are involved in growth (20 genes), conidiation (28 genes), appressorium formation (four genes) and pathogenicity (22 genes) in M. oryzae. Of these, MGG_14931, named as VRF1, is required for pathogenicity, specifically controlling appressorium maturation by affecting the expression of genes related to appressorial structure and function, including melanin biosynthesis, chitin catabolism, lipid metabolism, proteolysis, transmembrane transport, and response to oxidative stress; MGG_01776, named as VRF2, is required for plant penetration and invasive growth; conidiation-related gene CON7 is required for conidial differentiation; and MoCREA, encoding a carbon catabolite repression protein, is a novel repressor of lipid catabolism when glucose obtainable in M. oryzae. This study provides many insights into the regulation of growth, asexual development, appressorium formation, and pathogenicity by C2H2 TFs in M. oryzae.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.|State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Huijuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Pengyun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Lilin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Yongkai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Dandan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310021, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 31006, China.
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, China.
authors.forename: John Hugh
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Fucheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D001467:Hordeum / Q000382:microbiology; D020082:Magnaporthe / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D025282:Mycelium / Q000254:growth & development; D012275:Oryza / Q000382:microbiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008543:Melanins
keywords: Cys2-His2 zinc finger protein; Magnaporthe oryzae; appressorium formation; conidiation; growth; pathogenicity; rice blast; transcription factor