Anastomosis Is Required for Virulence of the Fungal NecrotrophAlternaria brassicicola

• DOI: 10.1128/ec.00423-07
• Publication Date: 2008-03-01T02:37:03Z
• Authors: Kelly D. Craven; Heriberto Vélëz; Yangrae Cho; Christopher B. La...; Thomas K. Mitchell
• Keywords: Alternaria brassicicola; Conidiation

A fungal mycelium is typically composed of radially extending hyphal filaments interconnected by bridges created through anastomoses. These facilitate the dissemination nutrients, water, and signaling molecules throughout colony. In this study, we used targeted gene deletion nitrate utilization mutants cruciferous pathogen Alternaria brassicicola two closely related species to investigate fusion (anastomosis) its role in ability fungi cause disease. All eight A. isolates tested, as well mimicula japonica, were capable self-fusion, with being non-self-fusion. Disruption anastomosis homolog (Aso1) resulted both loss self-anastomosis pathogenicity on cabbage. This finding, combined our discovery that a previously described nonpathogenic mutant defective for mitogen-activated protein kinase (amk1) also lacked capacity self-anastomosis, suggests associated brassicicola.