Abstract
Appressorium formation is an essential step in the infection cycle of Magnaporthe oryzae. The fungus can recognized hydrophobic surface to initiate appressorium formation via the cAMP signaling pathway, but the differentiation of mature appressoria and invasive hyphae is regulated by the Mst11-Mst7-Pmk1 MAPK cascade. Mutants blocked in the Pmk1 pathway are nonpathogenic. Mst50 directly interacts with both Mst11 and Mst7 and functions as the adaptor protein for transducing upstream signals to the Pmk1 cascade. Both Mst50 and Mst11 have the Ras association domain and physically interact with Ras1 and Ras2, two Ras proteins in M. oryzae. Ras2 appears to play critical roles in the activation of both the cAMP-signaling and Pmk1 MAPK pathways. When Pmk1 is activated by Mst7, it may in turn activate multiple downstream transcription factors because Mst12 is only required for appressorial penetration. Genes regulated by PMK1 have been identified by several approaches but only a few of them have been functionally characterized. It will be important to identify and characterize other transcription factors and infection-related genes regulated by the Pmk1 pathway.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bardwell, L. (2004) A walk-through of the yeast mating pheromone response pathway. Peptides, 25(9) 1465–1476.
Bruno, K.S., Tenjo, F., Li, L., Hamer, J.E., & Xu, J.R. (2004) Cellular localization and role of kinase activity of PMK1 in Magnaporthe oryzae. Eukaryot Cell, 3(6) 1525–1532.
Dean, R.A., Talbot, N.J., Ebbole, D.J., Farman, M., & et al. (2005) The genome sequence of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Nature, 434(7036) 980–986.
DeZwaan, T.M., Carroll, A.M., Valent, B., & Sweigard, J.A. (1999) Magnaporthe oryzae Pth11p is a novel plasma membrane protein that mediates appressorium differentiation in response to inductive substrate cues. Plant Cell, 11(10) 2013–2030.
Ebbole, D.J., Jin, Y., Thon, M., Pan, H.Q., Bhattarai, E., Thomas, T., & Dean, R. (2004) Gene discovery and gene expression in the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae: Analysis of expressed sequence tags. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 17(12) 1337–1347.
Fang, E.G.C., & Dean, R.A. (2000) Site-directed mutagenesis of the MAGB gene affects growth and development in Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 13(11) 1214–1227.
Kankanala, P., Czymmek, K., & Valent, B. (2007) Roles for rice membrane dynamics and plasmodesmata during biotrophic invasion by the blast fungus. Plant Cell, 19(2) 706–724.
Kulkarni, R.D., Thon, M.R., Pan, H.Q., & Dean, R.A. (2005) Novel G-protein-coupled receptor-like proteins in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Genome Biol, 6(3) R24.
Li, L., Xue, C.Y., Bruno, K., Nishimura, M., & Xu, J.R. (2004) Two PAK kinase genes, CHM1 and MST20, have distinct functions in Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 17(5) 547–556.
Liu, H., Suresh, A., Willard, F.S., Siderovski, D.P., Lu, S., & Naqvi, N.I. (2007) Rgs1 regulates multiple G alpha subunits in Magnaporthe pathogenesis, asexual growth and thigmotropism. EMBO J, 26(3) 690–700.
Liu, S.H., & Dean, R.A. (1997) G protein alpha subunit genes control growth, development, and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 10(9) 1075–1086.
Nishimura, M., Park, G., & Xu, J.R. (2003) The G-beta subunit MGB1 is involved in regulating multiple steps of infection-related morphogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Microbiol, 50(1) 231–243.
Park, G., Xue, C., Zheng, L., Lam, S., & Xu, J.R. (2002) MST12 regulates growth but not appressorium formation in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 15(3) 183–192.
Park, G., Bruno, K.S., Staiger, C.J., Talbot, N.J., & Xu, J.R. (2004) Independent genetic mechanisms mediate turgor generation and penetration peg formation during plant infection in the rice blast fungus. Mol Microbiol, 53(6) 1695–1707.
Park, G., Xue, C., Zhao, X., Kim, Y., Orbach, M., & Xu, J.R. (2006) Multiple upstream signals converge on an adaptor protein Mst50 to activate the PMK1 pathway in Magnaporthe oryzae. Plant Cell, 18 2822–2835.
Sesma, A., & Osbourn, A.E. (2004) The rice leaf blast pathogen undergoes developmental processes typical of root-infecting fungi. Nature, 431(7008) 582–586.
Smith, D.G., Garcia-Pedrajas, M.D., Hong, W., Yu, Z.Y., Gold, S.E., & Perlin, M.H. (2004) An Ste20 homologue in Ustilago maydis plays a role in mating and pathogenicity. Eukaryot Cell, 3(1) 180–189.
Soanes, D.M., & Talbot, N.J. (2005) A bioinformatic tool for analysis of EST transcript abundance during infection-related development by Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Plant Pathol, 6(5) 503–512.
Sweigard, J.A., Carroll, A.M., Farrall, L., Chumley, F.G., & Valent, B. (1998) Magnaporthe oryzae pathogenicity genes obtained through insertional mutagenesis. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact, 11(5) 404–412.
Thines, E., Weber, R.W.S., & Talbot, N.J. (2000) MAP kinase and protein kinase A – dependent mobilizationof triacylglycerol and glycogen during appressorium tugor generation by Magnaporthe oryzae. Plant Cell, 12 1703–1718.
Valent, B., & Chumley, F.G. (1991) Molecular genetic analysis of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Annu Rev Phytopathol, 29 443–467.
Xu, J.R., & Hamer, J.E. (1996) MAP kinase and cAMP signaling regulate infection structure formation and pathogenic growth in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Genes Dev, 10(21) 2696–2706.
Xu, J.R. (2000) MAP kinases in fungal pathogens. Fungal Genet Biol, 31(3) 137–152.
Xue, C., Park, G., Choi, W., Zheng, L., Dean, R.A., & Xu, J.R. (2002) Two novel fungal virulence genes specifically expressed in appressoria of the rice blast fungus. Plant Cell, 14(9)2107–2119.
Zhao, X., Kim, Y., Park, G., & Xu, J.R. (2005) A mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade regulating infection-related morphogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae. Plant Cell, 17(4) 1317–1329.
Zhao, X., Mehrabi, R., & Xu, J.-R. (2007) Mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and fungal pathogenesis. Eukaryot Cell, 6 1701–1714.
Zhao, X.H., & Xu, J.R. (2007) A highly conserved MAPK-docking site in Mst7 is essential for Pmk1 activation in Magnaporthe oryzae. Mol Microbiol, 63(3) 881–894.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ding, S., Zhou, X., Zhao, X., Xu, JR. (2009). The PMK1 MAP Kinase Pathway and Infection-Related Morphogenesis. In: Wang, GL., Valent, B. (eds) Advances in Genetics, Genomics and Control of Rice Blast Disease. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9500-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9500-9_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9499-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9500-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)