Two Cdc2 Kinase Genes with Distinct Functions in Vegetative and Infectious Hyphae in Fusarium graminearum

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004913
• Publication Date: 2015-06-17T18:31:30Z
• Authors: Huiquan Liu; Shijie Zhang; Jiwen Ma; Yafeng Dai; Chaohui Li; Xueliang Lyu; Chenfang Wang; Jin-Rong Xu
• Keywords: Conidiation

Eukaryotic cell cycle involves a number of protein kinases important for the onset and progression through mitosis, most which are well characterized in budding fission yeasts conserved other fungi. However, unlike model yeast filamentous fungi that have single Cdc2 essential progression, wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum contains two CDC2 orthologs. The cdc2A cdc2B mutants had no obvious defects growth rate conidiation but deletion both them is lethal, indicating these orthologs redundant functions during vegetative asexual reproduction. whereas mutant was normal, significantly reduced virulence rarely produced ascospores. Although CDC2A effect on formation penetration branches or hyphopodia, limited differentiation infectious tissues. Therefore, plays stage-specific roles regulation sexual Both CDC2B constitutively expressed only up-regulated plant infection ascosporogenesis. Localization Cdc2A- GFP to nucleus not Cdc2B-GFP observed hyphae, ascospores, hyphae. Complementation assays with chimeric fusion constructs showed N- C-terminal regions Cdc2A its pathogenesis ascosporogenesis N-terminal region subcellular localization. Among Sordariomycetes, three species closely related F. genes. Furthermore, uniquely has Aurora kinase genes one additional putative cyclin gene, CAK1 four mitotic dispensable viability. Overall, our data indicate different between hyphae Cdc2A, possibly by interacting cyclin, more role than Cdc2B infection.