Project description:The transcription factor Mac1 is a key regulator of copper homeostasis, controlling the transcriptional response to copper-limiting conditions in fungi. It has been described as a virulence factor in human pathogens such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus, but surprisingly its role in plant pathogenesis is poorly understood. Targeted deletion of Mac1 in the soilborne pathogen Fusarium oxisporum results in an inability to grow under copper-limited conditions and kills tomato plants. The aim of this RNA-seq analysis is to elucidate the role of Mac1 in gene regulation under copper starvation and during infection of tomato plants by F. oxysporum.
Project description:Fusarium graminearum is a major pathogen of Fusarium head blight in wheat, barley, and rice, as well as ear rot and stalk rot in maize. Regulatory Factor X (RFX) transcription factors are well-conserved in animals and fungi, but their functions are diverse, ranging from DNA-damage response to ciliary gene regulation. We investigated the role of the sole RFX transcription factor, RFX1, in F. graminearum. Deletion of rfx1 resulted in multiple defects in hyphal growth, conidiation, virulence, and sexual development. Deletion mutants of rfx1 were more sensitive to various types of DNA damage than the wild-type strain. Septum formation was inhibited and micronuclei were produced in the rfx1 deletion mutants. The results of the neutral comet assay demonstrated that disruption of rfx1 function caused spontaneous DNA double-strand breaks. To understand regulatory mechanisms of rfx1 in F. graminearum, we obtained and analyzed genome-wide transcription profiles generated from the RNA-sequencing data of the wild-type and M-NM-^Trfx1 strains. RNA-sequencing-based transcriptomic analysis revealed that RFX1 suppressed the expression of many genes, including genes for the repair of DNA damage. 2 samples examined: mycelia harvested 24 h after inoculation of wild-type conidia in complete medium; mycelia harvested 32 h after inoculation of M-NM-^Trfx1 conidia in complete medium
Project description:Fusarium graminearum is a major pathogen of Fusarium head blight in wheat, barley, and rice, as well as ear rot and stalk rot in maize. Regulatory Factor X (RFX) transcription factors are well-conserved in animals and fungi, but their functions are diverse, ranging from DNA-damage response to ciliary gene regulation. We investigated the role of the sole RFX transcription factor, RFX1, in F. graminearum. Deletion of rfx1 resulted in multiple defects in hyphal growth, conidiation, virulence, and sexual development. Deletion mutants of rfx1 were more sensitive to various types of DNA damage than the wild-type strain. Septum formation was inhibited and micronuclei were produced in the rfx1 deletion mutants. The results of the neutral comet assay demonstrated that disruption of rfx1 function caused spontaneous DNA double-strand breaks. To understand regulatory mechanisms of rfx1 in F. graminearum, we obtained and analyzed genome-wide transcription profiles generated from the RNA-sequencing data of the wild-type and Δrfx1 strains. RNA-sequencing-based transcriptomic analysis revealed that RFX1 suppressed the expression of many genes, including genes for the repair of DNA damage.