FEMS Microbiology Letters (2008) 280, 182-188

Takuma Mori, Hee-Young Jung, Kensaku Maejima, Hisae Hirata, Misako Himeno, Hiroshi Hamamoto and Shigetou Namba (2008)
Magnaporthe oryzae endopolygalacturonase homolog correlates with density-dependent conidial germination
FEMS Microbiology Letters 280 (2), 182-188
Abstract: Endopolygalacturonases (endoPGs) of some phytopathogens are virulent factors for dicots. To investigate the function of the endoPG of Magnaporthe oryzae, a disruption mutant of MGG_08938, the homolog of endoPG found in the genome database of this fungus, was generated. The pathogenicity, mycelial growth, and appressorium formation of this mutant were comparable with those of the wild-type strain; however, the germination of conidia in a highly concentrated suspension of conidia was affected by the mutation. Whereas the germination of the wild-type strain was inhibited at high concentrations, this effect was canceled out by disruption by the endoPG homolog gene. The authors named the gene MDG1 (M. oryzae density-dependent germination), which delineates this new function in the fungus.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Shigetou Namba, Hiroshi Hamamoto, Hee-Young Jung

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pyricularia oryzae