Rgs1 is a regulator of effector gene expression during plant infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

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9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To cause rice blast disease, the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae secretes a battery of effector proteins into host plant tissue to facilitate infection. Effectorencoding genes are expressed only during plant infection and show very low expression during other developmental stages. How effector gene expression is regulated in such a precise manner during invasive growth by M. oryzae is not known. Here, we report a forward-genetic screen to identify regulators of effector gene expression, based on the selection of mutants that show constitutive effector gene expression. Using this simple screen, we identify Rgs1, a regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) protein that is necessary for appressorium development, as a novel transcriptional regulator of effector gene expression, which acts prior to plant infection. We show that an N-terminal domain of Rgs1, possessing transactivation activity, is required for effector gene regulation and acts in an RGS-independent manner. Rgs1 controls the expression of at least 60 temporally coregulated effector genes, preventing their transcription during the prepenetration stage of development prior to plant infection. A regulator of appressorium morphogenesis is therefore also required for the orchestration of pathogen gene expression required for invasive growth by M. oryzae during plant infection.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2301358120
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume120
Issue number12
Early online date13 Mar 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Mar 2023

Keywords

  • effectors
  • gene expression
  • plant pathogen
  • rice blast

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