title: Disruption of the Gene Encoding Endo-β-1, 4-Xylanase Affects the Growth and Virulence ofSclerotinia sclerotiorum.
abstract: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum(Lib.) de Bary is a devastating fungal pathogen with worldwide distribution.S. sclerotiorumis a necrotrophic fungus that secretes many cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) that destroy plant's cell-wall components. Functional analyses of the genes that encode CWDEs will help explain the mechanisms of growth and pathogenicity ofS. sclerotiorum. Here, we isolated and characterized a geneSsXyl1that encoded an endo-β-1, 4-xylanase inS. sclerotiorum. TheSsXyl1expression showed a slight increase during the development and germination stages of sclerotia and a dramatic increase during infection. The expression ofSsXyl1was induced by xylan. TheSsXyl1deletion strains produce aberrant sclerotia that could not germinate to form apothecia. TheSsXyl1deletion strains also lost virulence to the hosts. This study demonstrates the important roles of endo-β-1, 4-xylanase in the growth and virulence ofS. sclerotiorum.
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jifen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Yuheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Chaowei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Southwest University Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qing
keywords: 4-xylanase; Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; carpogenic germination; endo-β-1; gene deletion; sclerotia; virulence