MADS-box transcription factor Mcm۱ is involved in the virulence of the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

Background and Aim : Zymoseptoria tritici is an economically important fungal pathogen responsible for Septoria tritici blotch (STB), the most destructive disease of wheat worldwide, threatening global food security. Due to the pivotal importance of STB, it is necessary to design new and environmentally safe measures to manage STB effectively. Gaining new insight into the biology of this damaging fungal pathogen plays a pivotal role in developing novel management measures. Methods : In this study, we investigated the instrumental function of the ZtMcm۱ encoding a MADS-box transcription factor in the infection process of the Z. tritici. To aim this, we deleted this gene from the genome of Z. tritici IPO۳۲۳ (reference isolate) through the Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transformation (ATMT) technique. The User-friendly cloning technique was employed to generate the ZtMcm۱ deletion construct in such a way about ۲,۰۰۰ bp upstream and downstream of ZtMcm۱ was amplified through PfuTurbo® DNA polymerase. Subsequently, the resulting PCR amplicons and the digested vector were mixed and treated with the USER enzyme mix and incubated at ۳۷ °C for ۳۰ min followed by ۲۵ °C for ۳۰ min.Results : The developed deletion construct was applied in the ATMT procedure to eliminate the ZtMcm۱ from the IPO۳۲۳ genome through the homologous recombination event. The obtained mutant lacking ZtMcm۱, ectopic strain, and wild type (WT) strain were used in the infection assay. Our results demonstrated that mutant strains failed to infect the susceptible wheat cultivar Taichung ۲۹, whereases the WT and ectopic strains caused STB on the same cultivar.Conclusion : This study adds to a better understanding of Z. tritici biology and may be applied to develop novel strategies to effectively manage this damaging fungal pathogen.

کلیدواژه ها:

STB ، Wheat ، Transcription factor ، virulence