The Ustilago maydis Cys2His2-type zinc finger transcription factor Mzr1 regulates fungal gene expression during the biotrophic growth stage
Autor(en): | Zheng, Y. Kief, J. Auffarth, K. Farfsing, J.W. Mahlert, M. Nieto, F. Basse, C.W. |
Stichwörter: | Fungal Proteins; Transcription Factors; cell cycle protein; protein biz1; transcription factor; transcription factor mzr1; fungal protein; transcription factor; zinc finger protein, article; controlled study; fungal colonization; fungal gene; fungus growth; gene cluster; gene deletion; gene expression; gene overexpression; growth curve; mig1 gene; mig2 2 gene; mig2 3 gene; mig2 5 gene; nonhuman; pathogenesis; priority journal; protein function; Ustilago maydis; vegetative growth; chemistry; gene expression regulation; genetics; growth, development and aging; maize; metabolism; microbiology; open reading frame; physiology; plant disease; promoter region; transactivation; Ustilago, Fungi; Ustilago maydis; Zea mays, Fungal Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; Open Reading Frames; Plant Diseases; Promoter Regions (Genetics); Trans-Activation (Genetics); Transcription Factors; Ustilago; Zea mays; Zinc Fingers | Erscheinungsdatum: | 2008 | Journal: | Molecular Microbiology | Volumen: | 68 | Ausgabe: | 6 | Startseite: | 1450 | Seitenende: | 1470 | Zusammenfassung: | The smut fungus Ustilago maydis establishes a biotrophic relationship with its host plant maize to progress through sexual development. Here, we report the identification and characterization of the Cys2His2-type zinc finger protein Mzr1 that functions as a transcriptional activator during host colonization. Expression of the U. maydis mig2 cluster genes is tightly linked to this phase. Upon conditional overexpression, Mzr1 confers induction of a subset of mig2 genes during vegetative growth and this requires the same promoter elements that confer inducible expression in planta. Furthermore, expression of the mig2-4 and mig2-5 genes during biotrophic growth is strongly reduced in cells deleted in mzr1. DNA-array analysis led to the identification of additional Mzr1-induced genes. Some of these genes show a mig2-like plant-specific expression pattern and Mzr1 is responsible for their high-level expression during pathogenesis. Mzr1 function requires the b-dependently regulated Cys2His2-type cell cycle regulator Biz1, indicating that two stage-specific regulators mediate gene expression during host colonization. In spite of a role as transcriptional activator during biotrophic growth, mzr1 is not essential for pathogenesis; however, conditional overexpression interfered with proliferation during vegetative growth and mating ability, caused a cell separation defect, and triggered filamentous growth. We discuss the implications of these findings. © 2008 The Authors. |
ISSN: | 0950382X | DOI: | 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06244.x | Externe URL: | https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-44249103047&doi=10.1111%2fj.1365-2958.2008.06244.x&partnerID=40&md5=5d06860e30f03a960c6f3ab62be88afb |
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