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Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi in Wild Monochamus alternatus Populations for Biocontrol Applications in Forest Wood Borers
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Dihydroxyhexanoic acid biosynthesis controls turgor in pathogenic fungi

Naoyoshi Kumakura1, Takayuki Motoyama1, Keisuke Miyazawa2,3

  • 1RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 12, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Plant pathogenic fungi use specialized cells to penetrate hosts. New research identifies enzymes PKS2 and PBG13 essential for forming a semipermeable barrier, crucial for fungal pathogenicity and disease control.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Mycology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Plant pathogenic fungi utilize appressoria to mechanically penetrate host surfaces.
  • Appressoria generate turgor pressure via internal osmolyte accumulation and semipermeable cell walls.
  • The precise mechanism of appressorial wall semipermeability, independent of melanin, is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the molecular mechanism behind the semipermeable barrier formation in fungal appressoria.
  • To identify key enzymes and pathways involved in generating turgor pressure for host penetration.
  • To explore novel targets for controlling plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens.

Main Methods:

  • Employed reverse genetics to investigate gene functions in fungal pathogens.
  • Focused on the enzymes PKS2 and PBG13, known to be involved in fungal development.
  • Analyzed the role of synthesized polymers in cell wall permeability and turgor generation.

Main Results:

  • Identified PKS2 and PBG13 as essential enzymes for forming the semipermeable barrier in appressoria.
  • These enzymes synthesize 3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid polymers, critical for pathogenicity.
  • The synthesized polymers reduce cell wall permeability and generate turgor pressure independently of melanization.

Conclusions:

  • Uncovered a novel mechanism of fungal turgor generation mediated by specific enzymes and polymer synthesis.
  • Demonstrated the essential role of 3,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid polymers in fungal pathogenicity.
  • These findings provide new targets for developing strategies to control anthracnose and rice blast diseases.

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