Setosphaeria turcica ATR turns off appressorium-mediated maize infection and triggers melanin-involved self-protection in response to genotoxic stress.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic organisms activate conserved signalling networks to maintain genomic stability in response to DNA genotoxic stresses. However, the coordination of this response pathway in fungal pathogens remains largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which the northern corn leaf blight pathogen Setosphaeria turcica controls maize infection and activates self-protection pathways in response to DNA genotoxic insults. Appressorium-mediated maize infection by S. turcica was blocked by the S-phase checkpoint. This repression was dependent on the checkpoint central kinase Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), as inhibition of ATR activity or knockdown of the ATR gene recovered appressorium formation in the presence of genotoxic reagents. ATR promoted melanin

SUBMITTER: Zeng F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7036364 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature