| Title: | Mating-type loci of Ustilago esculenta are essential for mating and development |
| Author(s): | Zhang Y; Yin Y; Hu P; Yu J; Xia W; Ge Q; Cao Q; Cui H; Yu X; Ye Z; |
| Address: | "Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Biometrology and Inspection & Quarantine, College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: zhye@cjlu.edu.cn" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.01.008 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1096-0937 (Electronic) 1087-1845 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Ustilago esculenta is closely related to the smut fungus Ustilago maydis and, in an endophytic-like life in the plant Zizania latifolia, only infects host stems and causes swollen stems to form edible galls called Jiaobai in China. In order to study its different modes of invasion and sites of symptom development from other smut fungi at the molecular level, we first characterized the a and b mating-type loci of U. esculenta. The a loci contained three a mating-type alleles, encoding two pheromones and one pheromone receptor per allele. The pheromone/receptor system controlled the conjugation formation, the initial step of mating, in which each pheromone was specific for recognition by only one mating partner. In addition, there are at least three b alleles identified in U. esculenta, encoding two subunits of heterodimeric homeodomain transcription factors bE and bW, responsible for hyphal growth and invasiveness. Hyphal formation, elongation and invasion after mating of two compatible partners occurred, only when a heterodimer complex was formed by the bE and bW proteins derived from different alleles. We also demonstrated that even with only one paired pheromone-pheromone receptor, the active b locus heterodimer triggered hyphal growth and infection" |
| Keywords: | "Alleles China Genes, Mating Type, Fungal/*genetics Host-Pathogen Interactions/*genetics Hyphae/genetics/growth & development Pheromones/genetics Plant Diseases/*genetics/microbiology Poaceae/genetics/microbiology Ustilago/*genetics/growth & development Ma;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineZhang, Yafen Yin, Yumei Hu, Peng Yu, Jiajia Xia, Wenqiang Ge, Qianwen Cao, Qianchao Cui, Haifeng Yu, Xiaoping Ye, Zihong eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2019/01/28 Fungal Genet Biol. 2019 Apr; 125:60-70. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.01.008. Epub 2019 Jan 24" |
