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A conserved fungal Knr4/Smi1 protein is crucial for maintaining cell wall stress tolerance and host plant pathogenesis

Summary

Researchers discovered a fungal protein called Knr4 that is essential for fungal diseases in wheat crops. This protein helps fungi survive stress and cause disease. Importantly, this protein is found in many fungal pathogens but not in other organisms, making it an ideal target for developing new disease control strategies. When this protein is removed from fungal pathogens, they lose their ability to survive stress and infect plants, suggesting it could be used to combat fungal crop diseases.

Background

Fusarium graminearum and Zymoseptoria tritici are fungal pathogens that cause devastating diseases in wheat, threatening global food security. Current control strategies face challenges from increasing fungicide resistance and environmental restrictions. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis is essential for developing new intervention targets.

Objective

To identify conserved fungal genes essential for pathogenesis using dual weighted gene co-expression network analysis of F. graminearum infection in wheat spikes. The study aimed to identify novel genes required for cell wall integrity, stress tolerance, and virulence.

Results

FgKnr4, a conserved fungal protein containing a Knr4/Smi1 disordered domain, was identified as crucial for oxidative stress tolerance, cell wall integrity, cell cycle regulation, and virulence. ΔFgknr4 mutants showed reduced growth, increased stress sensitivity, abnormal cell wall morphology, and severely impaired pathogenicity. Orthologous gene deletion in Z. tritici replicated these phenotypes, confirming functional conservation across fungal pathogens.

Conclusion

FgKnr4 is a conserved fungal-specific protein essential for cell wall stress tolerance and host pathogenesis. The Knr4 gene is present across the fungal kingdom but absent in other eukaryotes, making it a promising intervention target for controlling fungal diseases in crops. Network-based approaches effectively identify genes critical for fungal pathogenesis.
  • Published in:PLoS Pathogens,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research, Gene Expression Analysis,
  • Source: PMID: 39787257, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012769
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