Vayg1 is required for microsclerotium formation and melanin production in Verticillium dahliae

The fungus Verticillium dahliae causes vascular wilt disease on many plant species, including economically important crop and ornamental plants worldwide. It produces darkly pigmented resting structures known as microsclerotia, which are able to survive for up to 14years in soil, and represent one of the defining characteristics of this species. The pigment produced in V. dahliae is dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin, a form of melanin common among fungi and named so for the intermediary of this melanin biosynthetic pathway. In this study, we characterized the function of the V. dahliae Vayg1 gene, whose homologs were involved in melanin biosynthesis in Exophiala dermatitidis (Wayg1) and Aspergillus fumigatus (Aayg1), by deletion and complementation of the gene and co-incubating deletion mutant with wild-type strain. Results showed that melanin production and microsclerotial formation in deletion mutants are inhibited. The Vayg1 deletion mutant also exhibited reduced pathogenicity. These results showed that Vayg1 is necessary for melanin and microsclerotium production, and we may thus hypothesize that the Vayg1 product may catalyze two different precursors, one of which is essential for DHN melanin production and the other one is involved in a signal network for microsclerotial formation in V. dahliae.