title: The appressorium of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae remains mitotically active during post-penetration hyphal growth.
abstract: To investigate the mitotic dynamics of an appressorium, we used live-cell confocal imaging of a fluorescence-based mitotic reporter strain of Magnaporthe oryzae. We present evidence that the M. oryzae appressorium remains viable and mitotically active well after host penetration. These results suggest the potential roles of the appressorium during post-penetration proliferation of invasive hyphae. Our studies also revealed that a mitotic appressorial nucleus undergoes extreme constriction and elongation as it migrates through the penetration peg in a manner analogous to mitosis during cell-to-cell movement of invasive hyphae. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these pathogen-specific nuclear dynamics may provide new targets for disease control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Cory B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Jenkinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Kiersun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorhmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Electronic address: ckhang@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Chang Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Khang
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D025301:Hyphae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D020082:Magnaporthe / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000382:microbiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins
keywords: Appressoria; Mitosis; Nuclear dynamics