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Eukaryotic Cell, December 2008, p. 2133-2140, Vol. 7, No. 12
1535-9778/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00286-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Phytophthora sojae G-Protein {alpha} Subunit Is Involved in Chemotaxis to Soybean Isoflavones{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Chenlei Hua,1 Yonglin Wang,1 Xiaobo Zheng,1 Daolong Dou,1 Zhengguang Zhang,1 Francine Govers,2 and Yuanchao Wang1*

Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China,1 Laboratory of Phytopathology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 5, NL-6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands2

Received 29 August 2008/ Accepted 8 October 2008

For the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae, chemotaxis of zoospores to isoflavones is believed to be critical for recognition of the host and for initiating infection. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this chemotaxis are largely unknown. To investigate the role of G-protein and calcium signaling in chemotaxis, we analyzed the expression of several genes known to be involved in these pathways and selected one that was specifically expressed in sporangia and zoospores but not in mycelium. This gene, named PsGPA1, is a single-copy gene in P. sojae and encodes a G-protein {alpha} subunit that shares 96% identity in amino acid sequence with that of Phytophthora infestans. To elucidate the function, expression of PsGPA1 was silenced by introducing antisense constructs into P. sojae. PsGPA1 silencing did not disturb hyphal growth or sporulation but severely affected zoospore behavior, including chemotaxis to the soybean isoflavone daidzein. Zoospore encystment and cyst germination were also altered, resulting in the inability of the PsGPA1-silenced mutants to infect soybean. In addition, the expressions of a calmodulin gene, PsCAM1, and two calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase genes, PsCMK3 and PsCMK4, were increased in the mutant zoospores, suggesting that PsGPA1 negatively regulates the calcium signaling pathways that are likely involved in zoospore chemotaxis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Phone: 86-25-84399071. Fax: 86-25-84395325. E-mail: wangyc{at}njau.edu.cn

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 17 October 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://ec.asm.org/.

Eukaryotic Cell, December 2008, p. 2133-2140, Vol. 7, No. 12
1535-9778/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/EC.00286-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • van de Mortel, J. E., Tran, H., Govers, F., Raaijmakers, J. M. (2009). Cellular Responses of the Late Blight Pathogen Phytophthora infestans to Cyclic Lipopeptide Surfactants and Their Dependence on G Proteins. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4950-4957 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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