Protein Phosphatases MoPtc5, MoPtc1, and MoPtc2 Contribute to the Vegetative Growth, Stress Adaptation, and Virulence of .

Protein phosphatases are crucial enzymes that regulate key cellular processes such as the cell cycle, gene transcription, and translation in eukaryotes. Seven PP2C protein phosphatases have been identified in . However, their synergistic roles in the pathology and physiology of remain poorly investigated. By qRT-PCR analysis, we found that PTC1 and PTC2 are significantly upregulated in the PTC5 deletion mutant. The double deletion of the / and / genes significantly reduced hyphal growth, conidiophore formation, sporulation, and virulence in . In addition, the double-knockout mutants were increasingly sensitive to different osmotic, oxidative, and cell wall stresses. Western blot analysis revealed that MoPtc5 plays a synergistic function with MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 in the regulation of MoMps1 and MoOsm1 phosphorylation levels. Lastly, appressorium formation and turgor generation were remarkably affected in the ΔΔ and ΔΔ double-deletion mutants. These findings demonstrate the overlapping roles of PP2c protein phosphatase in the fungal development and pathogenesis of .