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CWI-MAPKs Regulate the Formation of Hyphopodia Required for Virulence in Ceratocystis fimbriata

Kailun Lu1, Hao Cong1, Ru Xin1

  • 1The Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal and Edible Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China.

Molecular Plant Pathology
|July 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The cell wall integrity pathway

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Mycology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Ceratocystis fimbriata is a significant fungal pathogen impacting crops.
  • Its infection mechanisms remain incompletely understood.
  • Previous work identified CfSwi6 in the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway as crucial for pathogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of upstream MAPKs (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases) in the CWI pathway of C. fimbriata.
  • To understand how these MAPKs contribute to fungal pathogenicity and infection structure formation.

Main Methods:

  • Gene deletion of CWI-MAPK pathway components (CfBck1, CfMkk1, CfSlt2).
  • Phenotypic analysis of mutants, including pathogenicity assays, cellophane penetration tests, and host cell invasion.
  • Investigation of hyphopodia formation and the role of CfSep4.
  • RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify downstream gene targets.
  • Gene knockout of identified downstream genes.

Main Results:

  • Deletion of CWI-MAPK genes led to a near-complete loss of pathogenicity.
  • CWI-MAPKs are essential for hyphopodia formation, a novel finding reported here.
  • Mutants showed defects in hyphopodia development, penetration of barriers, and host cells.
  • CWI-MAPKs regulate CfSep4 assembly, which is critical for septin-ring and penetration peg formation.
  • RNA-seq identified downstream genes co-regulated by CfSlt2 and CfSwi6, including cellophane surface-induced genes.
  • Knockout of specific downstream genes (PHH50197, CfHSP30_1) impacted hyphopodia formation and pathogenicity.
  • Other downstream genes (PHH51274, CfHSP30_0, CfSTE11, PHH55780) are important for pathogenicity but not hyphopodium morphogenesis.

Conclusions:

  • CWI-MAPKs are critical regulators of C. fimbriata pathogenicity, primarily by controlling infection structure development.
  • The CWI-MAPK pathway, via CfSwi6, modulates septin-ring organization and hyphopodia formation.
  • Downstream genes regulated by this pathway play distinct roles in infection processes, highlighting a complex molecular mechanism for pathogenicity.
Keywords:
Ceratocystis fimbriataCWI‐MAPKsCfSwi6hyphopodiumseptin

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