Fungal Genetics and Biology最新文献

{"title":"Septin AoCDC11 is involved in trap morphogenesis, conidiation, and vegetative growth in carnivorous Arthrobotrys oligospora","authors":"Jieying Zhu ,&nbsp;Weiwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yani Fan ,&nbsp;Wei Deng ,&nbsp;Liao Zhang ,&nbsp;Shunxian Wang ,&nbsp;Xingzhong Liu ,&nbsp;Meichun Xiang","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Septins, a conserved family of cytoskeletal proteins with GTP-binding domains, play key roles in cell polarity, morphogenesis, cytoskeleton organization, and membrane remodeling. The nematode-trapping fungus <em>Arthrobotrys oligospora</em> can capture and kill nematodes using adhesive networks. It has been highlighted the importance of cell polarity, actin organization, and membrane remodeling in the process of trap formation, but the role of septins in adhesive-network forming remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the functions of <em>AoCDC11</em>, an ortholog of <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC11</em>, through gene disruption and multiphenotypic analysis. Disruption of <em>AoCDC11</em> led to reduced trap production and abnormal trap morphology. Compared to the wild type, <em>ΔAoCDC11</em> mutants significantly reduced trap formation to emerge more vegetative hyphae and produced more incompletely fused adhesive networks (45 % vs. 10 %) by fewer trap loops and septa. Additionally, <em>ΔAoCDC11</em> mutants exhibited a 36 % reduction in hyphal growth and 88 % decrease in conidiation compared to the wild type. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that AoCDC11 regulated genes involved in trap development, including those related to the cell cycle, anatomical structure development, cellular morphogenesis, vesicle transport, and membrane trafficking. These findings suggest that AoCDC11 plays a crucial role in trap morphogenesis, vegetative growth, and conidiation by modulating multiple biological processes. This study expands our understanding of the functions of septins in morphogenesis and survival strategy of nematode-trapping fungi.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"177 ","pages":"Article 103971"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional redundancy and divergence of UDP-glucose 4-epimerases in galactose metabolism and cell wall biosynthesis in Aspergillus nidulans","authors":"Chihiro Kadooka ,&nbsp;Shun Yakabe ,&nbsp;Daisuke Hira ,&nbsp;Taiki Futagami ,&nbsp;Masatoshi Goto ,&nbsp;Takuji Oka","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Galactose-containing polysaccharides in the cell walls of filamentous fungi are vital for hyphal formation, mycelial aggregation, and adhesion. Uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose 4-epimerase, an enzyme capable of reversibly converting UDP-glucose to UDP-galactose, plays a key role in galactose metabolism. This study investigates the functional specialization and overlapping roles of UDP-glucose 4-epimerases, UgeA and UgeB, in <em>Aspergillus nidulans</em>. Enzyme activity assays revealed that UgeA catalyzes the interconversion of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose, while UgeB facilitates both UDP-glucose/UDP-galactose and UDP-<em>N</em>-acetylglucosamine/UDP-<em>N</em>-acetylgalactosamine interconversions. Both UgeA and UgeB successfully restored growth in a yeast <em>gal10</em> disruptant, indicating their involvement in galactose metabolism <em>in vivo</em>. Additionally, the <em>ugeB</em> disruptant of <em>A. nidulans</em> exhibited growth retardation during galactose metabolism, a defect that was alleviated by complementation with <em>ugeB</em> or multiple-copy expression of <em>ugeA</em>. These findings elucidate the complex interplay between sugar metabolism and cell wall synthesis in filamentous fungi and offer insights for the development of novel antifungal therapies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"177 ","pages":"Article 103972"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143484618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing reveals that the Pgs gene of Fusarium circinatum is involved in pathogenicity, growth and sporulation","authors":"Alida van Dijk ,&nbsp;Andi M. Wilson ,&nbsp;Bianke Marx ,&nbsp;Bianca Hough ,&nbsp;Benedicta Swalarsk-Parry ,&nbsp;Lieschen De Vos ,&nbsp;Michael J. Wingfield ,&nbsp;Brenda D. Wingfield ,&nbsp;Emma T. Steenkamp","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Fusarium circinatum,</em> the causal agent of pine pitch canker, is one of the most destructive pathogens of <em>Pinus</em> species worldwide. Infections by this pathogen result in serious mortality of seedlings due to root and root collar disease, and growth reduction in trees due to canker formation and dieback. Although much is known about the population biology, genetics, and genomics of <em>F. circinatum</em>, relatively little is known regarding the molecular basis of pathogenicity in <em>F. circinatum.</em> In this study, a protoplast-based transformation using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing was utilized to functionally characterize a putative pathogenicity gene in three different strains of the fungus. <em>In silico</em> analyses suggested the gene likely encodes a small secreted protein, and all isolates in which it was deleted displayed significantly reduced vegetative growth and asexual spore production compared to the wild-type isolates. In pathogenicity tests, lesions induced by the deletion mutants on detached <em>Pinus patula</em> branches were significantly shorter than those produced by the wild-types. The putative pathogenicity gene was named <em>Pgs</em> reflecting its role in <u><strong>p</strong></u>athogenicity, <u><strong>g</strong></u>rowth, and <u><strong>s</strong></u>porulation. Future research will seek to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the mutant phenotypes observed. Overall, this study represents a significant advance in <em>F. circinatum</em> research as the development and application of a Cas9-mediated gene deletion process opens new avenues for functional gene characterization underlying many of the pathogen's biological traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"177 ","pages":"Article 103970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143426204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Separation of life stages within anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastigomycota) highlights differences in global transcription and metabolism","authors":"Lazarina V. Butkovich ,&nbsp;Patrick A. Leggieri ,&nbsp;Stephen P. Lillington ,&nbsp;Tejas A. Navaratna ,&nbsp;Candice L. Swift ,&nbsp;Nikola G. Malinov ,&nbsp;Thea R. Zalunardo ,&nbsp;Oliver B. Vining ,&nbsp;Anna Lipzen ,&nbsp;Mei Wang ,&nbsp;Juying Yan ,&nbsp;Vivian Ng ,&nbsp;Igor V. Grigoriev ,&nbsp;Michelle A. O'Malley","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anaerobic gut fungi of the phylum Neocallimastigomycota are microbes proficient in valorizing low-cost but difficult-to-breakdown lignocellulosic plant biomass. Characterization of different fungal life stages and how they contribute to biomass breakdown are critical for biotechnological applications, yet we lack foundational knowledge about the transcriptional, metabolic, and enzyme secretion behavior of different life stages of anaerobic gut fungi: zoospores, germlings, immature thalli, and mature zoosporangia. A Miracloth-based technique was developed to enrich cell pellets with zoospores - the free-swimming, flagellated, young life stage of anaerobic gut fungi. By contrast, fungal mats contained relatively more vegetative, encysted, mature sporangia that form films. Global gene expression profiles were compared from two sample types (zoospore-enriched cell pellets vs. mature mats) harvested from the anaerobic gut fungal strain <em>Neocallimastix californiae</em> G1. Despite cultures being grown on glucose, the fungal zoospore-enriched samples were transcriptionally primed to encounter plant matter substrate, as evidenced by upregulation of catabolic carbohydrate-active enzymes and putative carbohydrate transporters. Furthermore, we report significant differential gene expression for gene annotation groups, including putative secondary metabolites and transcription factors. Understanding global gene expression differences between the fungal zoospore-enriched cells and mature fungi aid in characterizing fungal development, unmasking gene function, and guiding cultivation conditions and engineering targets to promote enzyme secretion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103958"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142924122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PPZ1-TORC1 pathway mediates ferroptosis and antifungal resistance in Candida albicans","authors":"Haochen Miao ,&nbsp;Xueyi Chen ,&nbsp;Yun Huang ,&nbsp;Shenjun Yu ,&nbsp;Yang Wang ,&nbsp;Xin Huang ,&nbsp;Xin Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Candida albicans</em> (<em>C. albicans</em>), a common fungal pathogen, is responsible for infections such as oral candidiasis. Given the widespread misuse of antifungal medications and the increasing resistance, it is critical to explore new strategies to eradicate <em>C. albicans</em>. This study investigates ferroptosis, a form of cell death previously underexplored in fungi, focusing on the role of the fungus-specific protein phosphatase Z1 (PPZ1) in regulating the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) pathway during tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH)-induced ferroptosis. We demonstrated that ferroptosis induced by t-BuOOH promoted the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides, leading to the death of <em>C. albicans</em>. Furthermore, <em>PPZ1</em> deletion impairs TORC1 signaling, activates autophagy, increases sensitivity to ferroptosis following t-BuOOH exposure, and reduces resistance to various antifungal drugs. These findings reveal the role of the PPZ1-TORC1 pathway in ferroptosis and provide a theoretical basis for developing ferroptosis as a novel antifungal strategy to eradicate <em>C. albicans</em>. The potential combined application of ferroptosis and antifungal drugs is expected to improve the efficacy of treating fungal infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103954"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A microscopy-based image analysis pipeline for the quantification of germination of filamentous fungi","authors":"Sébastien C. Ortiz,&nbsp;Thomas Easter,&nbsp;Clara Valero,&nbsp;Michael J. Bromley,&nbsp;Margherita Bertuzzi","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Germination is the fundamental process whereby fungi transition from the dormant and stress resistant spores into actively replicating cells such as hyphae. Germination is essential for fungal colonization of new environments and pathogenesis, yet this differentiation process remains relatively poorly understood. For filamentous fungi, the study of germination has been limited by the lack of high-throughput, temporal, low cost, and easy-to-use methods of quantifying germination. To this end we have developed an image analysis pipeline to automate the quantification of germination from microscopy images. We have optimized this tool for the fungal pathogen <em>Aspergillus fumigatus</em> and demonstrated its potential applications by evaluating different strains, germination inhibitors, and auxotrophic and antifungal resistant mutants. Finally, we have expanded this tool to a variety of filamentous fungi and developed an easy-to-use web app for the fungal research community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103942"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142774936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global transcriptome changes during growth of a novel Penicillium coffeae isolate on the wheat stripe rust fungus, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici","authors":"Jack Wess,&nbsp;Yiheng Hu ,&nbsp;Sambasivam Periyannan ,&nbsp;Ashley Jones,&nbsp;John P. Rathjen","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wheat stripe rust caused by the fungus <em>Puccinia striiformis</em> f. <em>sp. tritici</em> (<em>Pst</em>) is currently the most destructive disease of wheat. The major control methods which include the deployment of resistant wheat cultivars and application of chemical fungicides are losing efficiency as the fungus evolves. Natural antagonists of <em>Pst</em> may be an avenue for alternative and environmentally sustainable control of the disease in the field. Here we describe a novel fungus found growing on <em>Pst</em> pustules. We identified the fungus as a novel isolate of the plant endophyte <em>Penicillium coffeae.</em> We present a high-quality reference genome and a comparative transcriptomic analysis used to investigate how the fungus deploys its genes during growth amongst <em>Pst</em> spores. The gene content of the <em>P. coffeae</em> ANU01 genome is suggestive of a generalist that makes use of diverse substrates. An abundance of genes related to lipid, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism indicate that <em>P. coffeae</em> ANU01 has evolved the ability to exploit nutrient stores in <em>Pst</em> urediniospores. <em>P. coffeae</em> ANU01 deploys a number of biosynthetic gene clusters during growth on <em>Pst</em> spores, potentially to inhibit urediniospores germination and halt defence responses. A number of genes encoding carbohydrate active enzymes are also highly upregulated, suggesting targeting and degradation of <em>Pst</em> urediniospores structures. Alongside carbohydrates, <em>P. coffeae</em> ANU01 appears to target spore lipids as a nutrient source, secreting several highly upregulated lipases<em>.</em> Our findings broaden the understanding of growth associated with rust spores as an evolutionary strategy and provide insight into the genes potentially required for this process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103956"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143016783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zymocin-like killer toxin gene clusters in the nuclear genomes of filamentous fungi","authors":"Padraic G. Heneghan,&nbsp;Letal I. Salzberg,&nbsp;Kenneth H. Wolfe","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zymocin-like killer toxins are anticodon nucleases secreted by some budding yeast species, which kill competitor yeasts by cleaving tRNA molecules. They are encoded by virus-like elements (VLEs), cytosolic linear DNA molecules that are also called killer plasmids. To date, toxins of this type have been found only in budding yeast species (Saccharomycotina). Here, we show that the nuclear genomes of many filamentous fungi (Pezizomycotina) contain small clusters of genes coding for a zymocin-like ribonuclease (γ-toxin), a chitinase (toxin α/β-subunit), and in some cases an immunity protein. The γ-toxins from <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em> and <em>Colletotrichum siamense</em> abolished growth when expressed intracellularly in <em>S. cerevisiae</em>. Phylogenetic analysis of glycoside hydrolase 18 (GH18) domains shows that the chitinase genes in the gene clusters are members of the previously described C-II subgroup of Pezizomycotina chitinases. We propose that the Pezizomycotina gene clusters originated by integration of a yeast-like VLE into the nuclear genome, but this event must have been ancient because (1) phylogenetically, the Pezizomycotina C-II chitinases and the Saccharomycotina VLE-encoded toxin α/β subunit chitinases are sister clades with neither of them nested inside the other, and (2) many of the Pezizomycotina toxin cluster genes contain introns, whereas VLEs do not. One of the toxin gene clusters in <em>Fusarium graminearum</em> is a locus that has previously been shown to be under diversifying selection in North American populations of this plant pathogen. We also show that two genera of agaric mushrooms (Basidiomycota) have acquired toxin gene clusters by horizontal transfers from different Pezizomycotina donors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103957"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New saga in Finland: The rise of Diplodia sapinea in Scots pine","authors":"Eeva Terhonen ,&nbsp;Tiina Ylioja ,&nbsp;Tuija Hytönen ,&nbsp;Katri Leino ,&nbsp;Linda Mutanen ,&nbsp;Markus Melin ,&nbsp;Eeva Vaahtera ,&nbsp;Suvi Sutela","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intensity of fungal virulence is likely to increase in northern forests as climate change alters environmental conditions, favoring pathogen proliferation in existing ecosystems while also facilitating their expansion into new geographic areas. In Finland, <em>Diplodia sapinea</em>, the causal agent of disease called “Diplodia tip blight”, has emerged as a new pathogen within the past few years. To reveal the current distribution of the novel fungal pathogen, and the effect of temperature and rainfall on its distribution, we utilized citizen science for the detection and collection of symptomatic Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em>) shoots. The Finnish culture collection of <em>D. sapinea</em> was initiated using in vitro cultured symptomatic samples, and selected strains were studied for their virulence and disease cycle. Furthermore, the mycobiome of selected symptomatic and asymptomatic Scots pine shoots was studied using amplicon sequencing and the presence of <em>D. sapinea</em> was confirmed with culturing, qPCR, and species-specific PCR. Based on over 500 Scots pine shoots testing positive for <em>D. sapinea</em>, the distribution of this fungal pathogen is concentrated along the coastal areas of Finland, extending up to 200 km inland from the coastline. The observed presence of <em>D. sapinea</em> followed the period of highest average temperatures recorded in Finland in 2023 and was also found to be related to less precipitation. The amplicon sequencing showed that abundance of <em>D. sapinea</em> was higher in the healthy tissues of symptomatic shoots compared to visually healthy shoots. Similarly, the abundance was higher in samples collected from coastal areas in Southwestern Finland, which are the most heavily impacted by this disease. Here, we show that the presence of <em>D</em>. <em>sapinea</em> is more extensive than previously assumed, and lastly illustrate the hypothesized disease cycle of the fungal pathogen in Finland based on observations made in the field from 2021 to 2024 and in vivo and in vitro studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103955"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The sensor protein VdSLN1 is involved in regulating melanin biosynthesis and pathogenicity via MAPK pathway in Verticillium dahliae","authors":"XiaYu Wang ,&nbsp;JunJiao Li ,&nbsp;XiaoBin Ji ,&nbsp;Dan Wang ,&nbsp;ZhiQiang Kong ,&nbsp;XiaoFeng Dai ,&nbsp;JieYin Chen ,&nbsp;DanDan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fgb.2025.103960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The vascular wilt fungus <em>Verticillium dahliae</em> is a destructive soil-borne pathogen that causes yield loss on various economically important crops. Membrane-spanning sensor protein SLN1 have been demonstrated to contribute to virulence in varying degrees among numerous devastating fungal pathogens. However, the biological function of SLN1 in <em>V. dahliae</em> remains unclear. In this study, we identified the membrane-spanning sensor protein encoding gene <em>VdSLN1</em> and it interacts physically with Vst50 and regulates the expression of MAPK module Vst50-Vst11-Vst7. The expression of <em>VdSLN1</em> was also positively regulated by the MAPK signaling pathways transmembrane-associated members <em>VdSho1</em> and <em>VdMsb2</em>, suggesting that the expression of <em>VdSLN1</em> is associated with <em>VdSho1</em> and <em>VdMsb2</em>. In addition, we found that VdSLN1, similar to VdSho1 and VdMsb2, is not required for <em>V. dahliae</em> vegetative growth and response to various abiotic stresses. While, Δ<em>VdSLN1</em> mutant exhibited slightly reduced ability to penetrate a cellophane membrane and melanin synthesis compared with the wild type strain. Further experiments indicate that VdSLN1, VdSho1 and VdMsb2 has an additive effect on the virulence, cellophane penetration and melanin biosynthesis and of <em>V. dahliae</em>. In short, VdSLN1, though not essential, plays a role in cellophane penetration, melanin biosynthesis, also contributes to the virulence, as the downstream factor of VdSho1 and VdMsb2.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55135,"journal":{"name":"Fungal Genetics and Biology","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103960"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142958981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}