State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources, Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
mSphere. 2024 Sep 25;9(9):e0040924. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00409-24. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
causes Verticillium wilt in more than 200 plant species worldwide. As a soilborne fungus, it forms melanized microsclerotia and colonizes the xylem of host plants. Our previous study revealed a subfamily of CH-homeobox transcription factors in , but their biological roles remain unknown. In this study, we systematically characterized the functions of seven CH-homeobox transcription factors in . Deletion of and significantly decreased the production of melanized microsclerotia, and knockout of and enhanced virulence. Loss of and increased conidium production, whereas loss of and did not affect growth, conidiation, microsclerotial formation, or virulence. Further research showed that VdChtf3 activated the expression of genes encoding pectic enzymes to participate in microsclerotial formation. In addition, VdChtf4 reduced the expression of to disturb the scavenging of superoxide radicals but induced the expression of genes related to cell wall synthesis to maintain cell wall integrity. These findings highlight the diverse roles of different members of the CH-homeobox gene family in .
is a soilborne fungus that causes plant wilt and can infect a variety of economic crops and woody trees. The molecular basis of microsclerotial formation and infection by this fungus remains to be further studied. In this study, we analyzed the functions of seven C2H2-homobox transcription factors. Notably, VdChtf3 and VdChtf4 exhibited the most severe defects, affecting phenotypes associated with critical developmental stages in the disease cycle. Our results indicate that VdChtf3 is a potential specific regulator of microsclerotial formation, modulating the expression of pectinase-encoding genes. This finding could contribute to a better understanding of microsclerotial development in . Moreover, VdChtf4 was associated with cell wall integrity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress resistance, and increased virulence. These discoveries shed light on the biological significance of C2H2-homeobox transcription factors in 's adaptation to the environment and infection of host plants.
在全球 200 多种植物物种中引起黄萎病。作为一种土壤传播真菌，它形成黑化微菌核并定殖于宿主植物的木质部。我们之前的研究揭示了 中的一个 CH-homeobox 转录因子亚家族，但它们的生物学功能仍不清楚。在这项研究中，我们系统地描述了 中七个 CH-homeobox 转录因子的功能。 和 的缺失显著降低了黑化微菌核的产生，而 和 的敲除增强了毒力。 的缺失增加了分生孢子的产生，而 的缺失不影响生长、分生孢子形成、微菌核形成或毒力。进一步的研究表明，VdChtf3 激活参与微菌核形成的果胶酶编码基因的表达。此外，VdChtf4 降低了 基因的表达以干扰超氧自由基的清除，但诱导与细胞壁合成相关的基因的表达以维持细胞壁完整性。这些发现突出了 CH-homeobox 基因家族不同成员在 中的多种作用。
是一种土壤传播真菌，可引起植物萎蔫，并可感染多种经济作物和木本树木。这种真菌微菌核形成和感染的分子基础仍有待进一步研究。在这项研究中，我们分析了七个 C2H2-同源盒转录因子的功能。值得注意的是，VdChtf3 和 VdChtf4 表现出最严重的缺陷，影响与 疾病周期中关键发育阶段相关的表型。我们的结果表明，VdChtf3 是微菌核形成的潜在特异性调节因子，调节果胶酶编码基因的表达。这一发现有助于更好地理解 中微菌核的发育。此外，VdChtf4 与细胞壁完整性、活性氧（ROS）应激抗性和毒力增加有关。这些发现揭示了 C2H2-同源盒转录因子在 适应环境和感染宿主植物方面的生物学意义。
