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Leucine biosynthesis is required for infection-related morphogenesis and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus

Yawei Que1, Xiaofeng Yue1, Nan Yang1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China.

Current Genetics
|July 3, 2019
PubMed

Insights

New research identifies leucine biosynthesis as critical for fungal pathogens like Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium graminearum. Disrupting these pathways offers a potential strategy for controlling devastating crop diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Mycology

Background:

  • Magnaporthe oryzae causes devastating rice blast disease globally, necessitating novel control strategies.
  • Understanding essential biological processes in fungal pathogens is key to developing effective disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify biological processes critical for Magnaporthe oryzae pathogenesis using insertional mutagenesis.
  • To investigate the role of leucine biosynthesis in fungal pathogenicity and explore its potential as a disease control target.

Main Methods:

  • T-DNA insertional mutagenesis was employed in M. oryzae to identify genes essential for pathogenesis.
  • Targeted gene deletion mutants were created for key leucine biosynthesis genes (LEU1, LEU2A, LEU4).
  • Functional characterization of homologous genes was performed in the wheat pathogen Fusarium graminearum.

Main Results:

  • Identification of LEU2A, encoding 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (3-IPMDH), essential for leucine biosynthesis and M. oryzae pathogenicity.
  • Leucine auxotrophy and severe defects in pathogenicity were observed in mutants lacking LEU1, LEU2A, or LEU4, with phenotypes rescued by exogenous leucine.
  • Deletion of the transcription factor LEU3 significantly down-regulated expression of LEU1, LEU2A, and LEU4.
  • FgLEU1, FgLEU3, and FgLEU4 were found to be essential for Fusarium graminearum-mediated wheat head blight.

Conclusions:

  • Leucine biosynthesis is a conserved and essential pathway for the pathogenicity of filamentous fungal pathogens, including M. oryzae and F. graminearum.
  • Targeting leucine biosynthesis pathways presents a promising conserved strategy for controlling major crop diseases like rice blast and wheat head blight.
Keywords:
LEU genesLeucine biosynthesisMagnaporthe oryzaeMorphological differentiationPathogenicity

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