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Eukaryotic Cell, December 2004, p. 1454-1463, Vol. 3, No. 6
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.6.1454-1463.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Evidence for a Role of the Regulator of G-Protein Signaling Protein CPRGS-1 in G{alpha} Subunit CPG-1-Mediated Regulation of Fungal Virulence, Conidiation, and Hydrophobin Synthesis in the Chestnut Blight Fungus Cryphonectria parasitica

Gerrit C. Segers, Jerome C. Regier, and Donald. L. Nuss*

Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College Park, Maryland

Received 14 July 2004/ Returned for modification 13 August 2004/ Accepted 7 September 2004

We previously reported that the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica expresses at least three G-protein {alpha} subunits and that G{alpha} subunit CPG-1 is essential for regulated growth, pigmentation, sporulation, and virulence. We now report the cloning and characterization of a C. parasitica regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) protein, CPRGS-1. The phylogenetic relationship of CPRGS-1 to orthologs from other fungi was inferred and found to be generally concordant with species relationships based on 18S ribosomal sequences and on morphology. However, Hemiascomycotine RGS branch lengths in particular were longer than for their 18S sequence counterparts, which correlates with functional diversification in the signaling pathway. Deletion of cprgs-1 resulted in reduced growth, sparse aerial mycelium, and loss of pigmentation, sporulation, and virulence. Disruption of cprgs-1 was also accompanied by a severe posttranscriptional reduction in accumulation of CPG-1 and Gß subunit CPGB-1 and severely reduced expression of the hydrophobin-encoding gene cryparin. The changes in phenotype, cryparin expression, and CPGB-1 accumulation resulting from cprgs-1 gene deletion were also observed in a strain containing a mutationally activated copy of CPG-1 but not in strains containing constitutively activated mutant alleles of the other two identified G{alpha} subunits, CPG-2 and CPG-3. Furthermore, cprgs-1 transcript levels were increased in the activated CPG-1 strain but were unaltered in activated CPG-2 and CPG-3 strains. The results strongly suggest that CPRGS-1 is involved in regulation of G{alpha} subunit CPG-1-mediated signaling and establish a role for a RGS protein in the modulation of virulence, conidiation, and hydrophobin synthesis in a plant pathogenic fungus.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 5115 Plant Sciences Bldg., College Park, MD 20742. Phone: (301) 405-0334. Fax: (301) 314-9075. E-mail: Nuss{at}umbi.umd.edu.

Eukaryotic Cell, December 2004, p. 1454-1463, Vol. 3, No. 6
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.6.1454-1463.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Fang, W., Pei, Y., Bidochka, M. J. (2007). A regulator of a G protein signalling (RGS) gene, cag8, from the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is involved in conidiation, virulence and hydrophobin synthesis. Microbiology 153: 1017-1025 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Deng, F., Allen, T. D., Nuss, D. L. (2007). Ste12 Transcription Factor Homologue CpST12 Is Down-Regulated by Hypovirus Infection and Required for Virulence and Female Fertility of the Chestnut Blight Fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. Eukaryot Cell 6: 235-244 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Segers, G. C., van Wezel, R., Zhang, X., Hong, Y., Nuss, D. L. (2006). Hypovirus Papain-Like Protease p29 Suppresses RNA Silencing in the Natural Fungal Host and in a Heterologous Plant System. Eukaryot Cell 5: 896-904 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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