Phenylacetate Hydroxylase SsPhacA Modulates p-Coumaric Acid Accumulation to Regulate the Mating/Filamentation of Sporisorium scitamineum.

ABSTRACT: Sugarcane smut, caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, is one of the most severe sugarcane diseases. A key pathogenic step is dikaryotic mycelium formation via sexual reproduction, but its regulatory mechanism is unclear. In this study, we identified a phenylacetate hydroxylase gene, SsPHACA, that is highly expressed during the sexual mating/filamentation of S. scitamineum and enriched within the phenylalanine metabolic pathway. SsPHACA deletion mutants presented significantly reduced sexual mating/filamentation and pathogenicity. Additionally, deletion of SsPHACA resulted in marked downregulation of the pheromone-responsive transcription factor gene SsPRF1, a critical regulator of sexual mating/filamentation in S. scitamineum, as well as its downstream genes at the a- and b-locus genes. Const

SUBMITTER: Xiong B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12698384 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature