Protein Kinase C Is Involved in Vegetative Development, Stress Response and Pathogenicity in .

Potato Verticillium wilt, caused by , is a serious soil-borne vascular disease, which restricts the sustainable development of the potato industry, and the pathogenic mechanism of the fungus is complex. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the important pathogenic factors of to expand the understanding of its pathology. () gene is located in the Ca signaling pathway, which is highly conserved in filamentous fungi and involved in the regulation of a variety of biological processes. In the current study, the gene in () was characterized, and its effects on the fungal pathogenicity and tolerance to fungicide stress were further studied. The results showed that the positively regulated the growth and development, conidial germination, and production of , which was necessary for the fungus to achieve pathogenicity. It also affected the formation of melanin and microsclerotia and changed the adaptability of to different environmental stresses. In addition, altered the tolerance of to different fungicides, which may be a potential target for polyoxin. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that gene is necessary for the vegetative growth, stress response, and pathogenicity of .