Plant Protect. Sci., 2015, 51(2):53-60 | DOI: 10.17221/67/2014-PPS

Cochliobolus heterostrophus T-toxin gene expression modulation via G protein and MAPK pathwaysOriginal Paper

Ofir DEGANI^{1, 2}

¹ Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel

² Migal - Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona, Israel

The role of G-protein and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in filamentous fungi has been studied for over a decade, but downstream elements are less known. Here, we used microarray and Northern blot analysis to examine the involvement of these signalling pathways in controlling the knownCochliobolus heterostrophus T-toxin biosynthetic gene, DEC1, whose control is important in epidemic prevention. Comparison of the expression profile in wild-type strains and in G-protein and MAPK signalling deficient mutants revealed a unique, environmental-dependent control mechanism for the DEC1 gene. The results suggest, for the first time, a possible role in pathogenicity for the G-protein α2 subunit in this organism, and hint to a common role of G-protein α1 and β1 subunits and MAPK in maintaining accurate levels of this toxin during pathogenesis.

Keywords: Cochliobolus heterostrophus; DEC1 gene; fungal RNA; maize; signal transduction; Southern corn leaf blight

Published: June 30, 2015  Show citation