Eukaryotic Cell
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Other Versions of this Article:
EC.00426-07v1
7/4/584    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schumacher, J.
Right arrow Articles by Tudzynski, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schumacher, J.
Right arrow Articles by Tudzynski, B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Eukaryotic Cell, April 2008, p. 584-601, Vol. 7, No. 4
1535-9778/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00426-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Calcineurin-Responsive Zinc Finger Transcription Factor CRZ1 of Botrytis cinerea Is Required for Growth, Development, and Full Virulence on Bean Plants{triangledown}

Julia Schumacher,1 Inigo F. de Larrinoa,2 and Bettina Tudzynski1*

Institut für Botanik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schlossgarten 3, 48149 Münster, Germany,1 Departamento de Química Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Po. de Manuel de Lardizabal 3, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain2

Received 23 November 2007/ Accepted 24 January 2008

Recently, we showed that the {alpha} subunit BCG1 of a heterotrimeric G protein is an upstream activator of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin in the gray mold fungus Botrytis cinerea. To identify the transcription factor acting downstream of BCG1 and calcineurin, we cloned the gene encoding the B. cinerea homologue of CRZ1 ("CRaZy," calcineurin-responsive zinc finger transcription factor), the mediator of calcineurin function in yeast. BcCRZ1 is able to partially complement the corresponding Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant, and the subcellular localization of the green fluorescent protein-BcCRZ1 fusion product in yeast cells depends on the calcium level and calcineurin activity. Bccrz1 deletion mutants are not able to grow on minimal media and grow slowly on media containing plant extracts. Hyphal morphology, conidiation, and sclerotium formation are impaired. The cell wall and membrane integrity, stress response (extreme pH, H2O2, Ca2+, Li+), and ability of the hyphae to penetrate the intact plant surface are affected in the mutants. However, BcCRZ1 is almost dispensable for the conidium-derived infection of bean plants. The addition of Mg2+ restores the growth rate, conidiation, and penetration and improves the cell wall integrity but has no impact on sclerotium formation or hypersensitivity to Ca2+ and H2O2. The expression of a set of recently identified BCG1- and calcineurin-dependent genes is also affected in {Delta}Bccrz1 mutants, confirming that this transcription factor acts downstream of calcineurin in B. cinerea. Since the Bccrz1 mutants still respond to calcineurin inhibitors, we conclude that BcCRZ1 is not the only target of calcineurin.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Botanik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Schloßgarten 3, D-48149 Münster, Germany. Phone: (49) 251-8324801. Fax: (49) 251-8321601. E-mail: tudzynsb{at}uni-muenster.de

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 8 February 2008.

Eukaryotic Cell, April 2008, p. 584-601, Vol. 7, No. 4
1535-9778/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00426-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:



HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Infect. Immun. J. Bacteriol.
Mol. Cell Biol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. ALL ASM JOURNALS
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society for Microbiology.