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The transmembrane protein MaSho1 negatively regulates conidial yield by shifting the conidiation pattern in Metarhizium acridum

  • Applied genetics and molecular biotechnology
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Abstract

Sho1 is an important membrane sensor upstream of the HOG-MAPK signaling pathway, which plays critical roles in osmotic pressure response, growth, and virulence in fungi. Here, a Sho1 homolog (MaSho1), containing four transmembrane domains and one Src homology (SH3) domain, was characterized in Metarhizium acridum, a fungal pathogen of locusts. Targeted gene disruption of MaSho1 impaired cell wall integrity, virulence, and tolerances to UV-B and oxidative stresses, while none of them was affected when the SH3 domain was deleted. Intriguingly, disruption of MaSho1 significantly increased conidial yield, which was not affected in the SH3 domain mutant. Furthermore, it was found that deletion of MaSho1 led to microcycle conidiation of M. acridum on the normal conidiation medium. Deletion of MaSho1 significantly shortened the hyphal cells but had no effect on conidial germination. Digital gene expression profiling during conidiation indicated that differential expression of genes was associated with mycelial development, cell division, and differentiation between the wild type and the MaSho1 mutant. These data suggested that disruption of MaSho1 shifted the conidiation pattern by altering the transcription of genes to inhibit mycelial growth, thereby promoting the conidiation of M. acridum.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0201200), the Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing (cstc2018jcyjAX0554), the Venture & Innovation Support Program for Chongqing Overseas Returnees (cx2019035), the Natural Science Foundation of China (31471820), and the Program for innovation research group in colleges and universities of Chongqing (CXQT19004).

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  1. Tingting Zhao and Zhiqiong Wen contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetic Engineering Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Zhao, Zhiqiong Wen, Yuxian Xia & Kai Jin

  2. Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Fungal Insecticide, Chongqing, 401331, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Zhao, Zhiqiong Wen, Yuxian Xia & Kai Jin

  3. Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation Technologies under Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, Chongqing, 401331, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Zhao, Zhiqiong Wen, Yuxian Xia & Kai Jin

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  1. Tingting Zhao
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  2. Zhiqiong Wen
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Correspondence to Yuxian Xia or Kai Jin.

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Zhao, T., Wen, Z., Xia, Y. et al. The transmembrane protein MaSho1 negatively regulates conidial yield by shifting the conidiation pattern in Metarhizium acridum. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 104, 4005–4015 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-020-10523-0

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