Conidial Morphogenesis and Septin-Mediated Plant Infection Require Smo1, a Ras GTPase-Activating Protein in Magnaporthe oryzae.

ABSTRACT: The pathogenic life cycle of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae involves a series of morphogenetic changes, essential for its ability to cause disease. The smo mutation was identified > 25 years ago, and affects the shape and development of diverse cell types in M. oryzae, including conidia, appressoria, and asci. All attempts to clone the SMO1 gene by map-based cloning or complementation have failed over many years. Here, we report the identification of SMO1 by a combination of bulk segregant analysis and comparative genome analysis. SMO1 encodes a GTPase-activating protein, which regulates Ras signaling during infection-related development. Targeted deletion of SMO1 results in abnormal, nonadherent conidia, impaired in their producti

SUBMITTER: Kershaw MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6325701 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature