Calcineurin phosphatase and phospholipase C are required for developmental and pathological functions in the citrus fungal pathogen Free

Abstract

Excessive Ca or compounds interfering with phosphoinositide cycling have been found to inhibit the growth of the tangerine pathotype of , suggesting a crucial role of Ca homeostasis in this pathotype. The roles of , a phospholipase C-coding gene and , a calcineurin phosphatase-coding gene were investigated. Targeted gene disruption showed that both and were required for vegetative growth, conidial formation and pathogenesis in citrus. Fungal strains lacking or exhibited extremely slow growth and induced small lesions on calamondin leaves. Δ mutants produced fewer conidia, which germinated at slower rates than wild-type. Δ mutants produced abnormal hyphae and failed to produce any mature conidia, but instead produced highly melanized bulbous hyphae with distinct septae. Fluorescence microscopy using Fluo-3 dye as a Ca indicator revealed that the Δ mutant hyphae emitted stronger cytosolic fluorescence, and the Δ mutant hyphae emitted less cytosolic fluorescence, than those of wild-type. Infection assessed on detached calamondin leaves revealed that application of CaCl or neomycin 24 h prior to inoculation provided protection against . These data indicate that a dynamic equilibrium of cellular Ca is critical for developmental and pathological processes of .

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station
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2014-07-01
2024-03-28
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