<i>VdSOX1</i> Negatively Regulates <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Virulence via Enhancing Effector Expression and Suppressing Host Immune Responses.

ABSTRACT: The soil-borne fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae causes devastating vascular wilt disease in numerous crops, including cotton. In this study, we reveal that VdSOX1, a highly conserved sarcosine oxidase gene, is significantly upregulated during host infection and plays a multifaceted role in fungal physiology and pathogenicity. Functional deletion of VdSOX1 leads to increased fungal virulence, accompanied by enhanced microsclerotia formation, elevated carbon source utilization, and pronounced upregulation of effector genes, including over 50 predicted secreted proteins genes. Moreover, the VdSOX1 knockout strains suppress the expression of key defense-related transcription factors in cotton, such as WRKY, MYB, AP2/ERF, and GRAS families, thereby impairing host

SUBMITTER: Xu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12387551 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature