A HOPS protein, CmVps39, is required for vacuolar morphology, autophagy, growth, conidiogenesis and mycoparasitic functions of Coniothyrium minitans.
Coniothyrium minitans is an important sclerotial and hyphal parasite of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Previously, a conidiation-deficient mutant, ZS-1N22225, was screened from a T-DNA insertional library of C. minitans. CmVps39, a homologue of Vam6p/Vps39p that plays a critical role in vacuolar morphogenesis in yeast, was disrupted by a T-DNA insertion in this mutant. CmVps39 is composed of 1071 amino acids with an amino-terminal citron homology domain and a central clathrin homology domain, as observed for other Vam6p/Vps39p family proteins. Abnormal fragmented vacuoles were observed in ΔCmVps39 under light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and ΔCmVps39 showed impairment in autophagy. ΔCmVps39 also exhibited significantly reduced hyphal development, poor conidiation and decreased sclerotial mycoparasitism. In addition, deletion of CmVps39 affected osmotic adaptation, pH homeostasis and cell wall integrity. Taken together, our results suggest that CmVps39 has an essential function in vacuolar morphology, autophagy, fungal development and mycoparasitism in C. minitans.
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.|The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Xiaoxiang
X
Yang
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.|The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Hui
H
Cui
The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Jiasen
J
Cheng
The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Jiatao
J
Xie
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.|The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Daohong
D
Jiang
Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
Tom
T
Hsiang
The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Yanping
Y
Fu
D001203:Ascomycota / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001343:Autophagy; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015723:Gene Library; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C036483:T-DNA