Eukaryotic Cell doi:10.1128/EC.00153-06
Copyright (c) 2006, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.
BcSAK1, a stress-activated MAP kinase is involved in vegetative differentiation and pathogenicity in Botrytis cinerea
Nadja Segmüller,
Ursula Ellendorf,
Bettina Tudzynski,
and
Paul Tudzynski*
Institut für Botanik, Westf. Wilhelms-Universität, Schlossgarten 3, D-48149 Münster, Germany
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email:
tudzyns{at}uni-muenster.de.
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Abstract |
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The gene bcsak1 encoding a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of Botrytis cinerea was cloned and characterized. The protein has high homology to the yeast Hog1 and to corresponding MAPKs from filamentous fungi, but it shows unique functional features. The protein is phosphorylated under osmotic stress, specific fungicides and oxidative stress mediated by H2O2 and menadione. Northern blot analyses indicate that only a subset of typical oxidative stress response genes is regulated by BcSAK1. In contrast to most other fungal systems, 
bcsak1 mutants are significantly impaired in vegetative and pathogenic development: they are blocked in conidia formation, show increased sclerotial development and are unable to penetrate unwounded plant tissue. These data indicate that in B. cinerea the stress-activated MAPK cascade is involved in essential differentiation programmes.
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