Eukaryotic Cell doi:10.1128/EC.00423-07
Copyright (c) 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.
Anastomosis is required for virulence of the fungal necrotroph, Alternaria brassicicola
Kelly D. Craven,
Heriberto Vélëz,
Yangrae Cho,
Christopher B. Lawrence,
and
Thomas K. Mitchell*
Center for Integrated Fungal Research, Dept. of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Blacksburg, VA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email:
mitchell.815{at}osu.edu.
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Abstract |
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A fungal mycelium is typically comprised of radially-extending hyphal filaments interconnected by hyphal bridges created through anastomoses. These bridges facilitate the dissemination of nutrients, water and signaling molecules throughout the colony. In this study, we used targeted gene deletion and nitrate-utilization mutants of the crucifer pathogen Alternaria brassicicola, and two closely related species, to investigate hyphal fusion (anastomosis) and its role in the ability of fungi to cause disease. All eight of the A. brassicicola isolates tested, as well as A. mimicula and A. japonica, were capable of self-fusion, with two isolates of A. brassicicola being capable of non-self fusion. Disruption of an anastomosis gene homolog (Aso1) in A. brassicicola resulted both in loss of self-anastomosis and in pathogenicity on cabbage. This finding, combined with our discovery that a previously described non-pathogenic A. brassicicola mutant defective for a MAP kinase gene (amk1) also lacked the capacity for self-anastomosis, suggests that self-anastomosis is associated with pathogenicity in A. brassicicola.
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