Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (2010) 23, 112-123

Jun Yang, Xiaoyan Zhao, Jing Sun, Zhensheng Kang, Shengli Ding, Jin-Rong Xu and You-Liang Peng (2010)
A novel protein Com1 is required for normal conidium morphology and full virulence in Magnaporthe oryzae
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 23 (1), 112-123
Abstract: In Magnaporthe oryzae, pyriform conidia are the primary inoculum and the main source for disease dissemination in the field. In this study, we identified and characterized the COM1 gene that was disrupted in three insertional mutants producing slender conidia. COM1 encodes a putative transcription regulator unique to filamentous ascomycetes. The com1 disruption and deletion mutants had similar defects in conidium morphology and were significantly reduced in virulence on rice and barley seedlings. Microscopic examination revealed that the Delta-com1 mutants were defective in appressorium turgor generation, penetration, and infectious growth. COM1 was expressed constitutively in M. oryzae. The Com1 protein had putative helix-loop-helix structures and three predicted nuclear localization signal sequences. In transformants expressing COM1335-613-enhanced green fluorescent protein fusion constructs, fluorescence signals were observed in the nucleus. Our data indicated that the COM1 gene may encode a novel transcription regulator that regulates conidial development and invasive growth in M. oryzae.
(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): You-Liang Peng, Zhen Sheng Kang, Jin-Rong Xu

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

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