title: Mutation of AREA affects growth, sporulation, nitrogen regulation, and pathogenicity in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
abstract: The GATA transcription factor AreA is a global nitrogen regulator that restricts the utilization of complex and poor nitrogen sources in the presence of good nitrogen sources in microorganisms. In this study, we report the biological function of an AreA homolog (the CgareA gene) in the fruit postharvest pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Targeted gene deletion mutants of areA exhibited significant reductions in vegetative growth, increases in conidia production, and slight decreases in conidial germination rates. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the expression of AreA was highly induced under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Moreover, compared to wild-type and complemented strains, nitrogen metabolism-related genes were misregulated in ΔareA mutant strains. Pathogenicity assays indicated that the virulence of ΔareA mutant strains were affected by the nitrogen content, but not the carbon content, of fruit hosts. Taken together, our results indicate that CgareA plays a critical role in fungal development, conidia production, regulation of nitrogen metabolism and virulence in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, China; Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Fangcheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ment
authors.affiliation: Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
authors.forename: Neta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Luria
authors.affiliation: Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: gerbera_mxc@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiangchun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. Electronic address: dovprusk@agri.gov.il.
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prusky
mesh_terms: D020231:Colletotrichum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D009154:Mutation; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: AreA homolog; Colletotrichum gloeosporioides; Nitrogen regulation; Pathogenicity