Abstract
A melanin biosynthetic gene, Sal1, in the southern corn leaf blight fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus, was identified by degenerate and inverse PCR. Structural analysis revealed that the open reading frame is 555 bp in length, interrupted by one intron. Melanin deficiency of the sal1 mutant strain, which accumulates the intermediate scytalone, was successfully complemented by introducing the gene fragment. These results suggest that Sal1 is a scytalone dehydratase gene of C. heterostrophus.
References
Bell AA, Wheeler MH (1986) Biosynthesis and function of fungal melanins. Annu Rev Phytopathol 24:411–451
Carroll AM, Sweigard JA, Valent B (1994) Improved vectors for selecting resistance to hygromycin. Fungal Genet Newsl 41:22
Eliahu N, Igbaria A, Rose MS, Horwitz BA, Lev S (2007) Melanin biosynthesis in the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus depends on two mitogen-activated protein kinases, Chk1 and Mps1, and the transcription factor Cmr1. Eukaryot Cell 6:421–429
Howard RJ, Valent B (1996) Breaking and entering: host penetration by the fungal rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe grisea. Annu Rev Microbiol 50:491–512
Izumitsu K, Yoshimi A, Tanaka C (2007) Two-component response regulators Ssk1p and Skn7p additively regulate high-osmolarity adaptation and fungicide sensitivity in Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Eukaryot Cell 6:171–181
Keller NP, Hohn TM (1997) Metabolic pathway gene clusters in filamentous fungi. Fungal Genet Biol 21:17–29
Kihara J, Moriwaki A, Ueno M, Tokunaga T, Arase S, Honda Y (2004) Cloning, functional analysis and expression of a scytalone dehydratase gene (SCD1) involved in melanin biosynthesis of the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris oryzae. Curr Genet 45:197–204
Kubo Y, Takano Y, Endo N, Yasuda N, Tajima S, Furusawa I (1996) Cloning and structural analysis of the melanin biosynthesis gene SCD1 encoding scytalone dehydratase in Colletotrichum lagenarium. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:4340–4344
Langfelder K, Streibel M, Jahn B, Haase G, Brakhage AA (2003) Biosynthesis of fungal melanins and their importance for human pathogenic fungi. Fungal Genet Biol 38:143–158
Nakada M, Tanaka C, Tsunewaki K, Tsuda M (1994) RFLP analysis for species separation in genera Bipolaris and Curvularia. Mycoscience 35:271–278
Ochman H, Gerber AS, Hartl DL (1988) Genetic applications of an inverse polymerase chain reaction. Genetics 120:621–623
Saitoh Y, Izumitsu K, Tanaka C (2009) Phylogenetic analysis of heavy-metal ATPases in fungi and characterization of the copper-transporting ATPase of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Mycol Res 113:737–745
Saitoh Y, Izumitsu K, Morita A, Shimizu K, Tanaka C (2010) ChMCO1 of Cochliobolus heterostrophus is a new class of metallo-oxidase, playing an important role in DHN-melanization. Mycoscience 51:327–336
Shimizu K, Tanaka C, Tsuda M (1996) Genetic analyses of Cochliobolus heterostrophus albino mutant with deficiencies at two loci. Mycoscience 37:345–349
Shimizu K, Tanaka C, Tsuda M (1997) Cloning of Brn1, a reductase gene involved in melanin biosynthesis in Cochliobolus heterostrophus. J Gen Appl Microbiol 43:145–150
Sussman AS (1986) Longevity and survivability of fungi. In: Ainsworth GC, Sussman AS (eds) The fungi. An advanced treatise, vol 3. Academic Press, New York, pp 447–486
Tanaka C, Kubo Y, Tsuda M (1991) Genetic analysis and characterization of Cochliobolus heterostrophus colour mutants. Mycol Res 95:49–56
Tanaka C, Tajima S, Furusawa I, Tsuda M (1992) The Pgr1 mutant of Cochliobolus heterostrophus lacks a p-diphenol oxidase involved in naphthalenediol melanin synthesis. Mycol Res 96:959–964
Tsai H-F, Wheeler MH, Chang YC, Kwon-Chung KJ (1999) A developmentally regulated gene cluster involved in conidial pigment biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus. J Bacteriol 181:6469–6477
Tsai H-F, Fujii I, Watanabe A, Wheeler MH, Chang YC, Yasuoka Y, Ebizuka Y, Kwon-Chung KJ (2001) Pentaketide melanin biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus requires chain-length shortening of a heptaketide precursor. J Biol Chem 276:29292–29298
Tsuji G, Sugahara T, Fujii I, Mori Y, Ebizuka Y, Shiraishi T, Kubo Y (2003) Evidence for involvement of two naphthol reductases in the first reduction step of melanin biosynthesis pathway of Colletotrichum lagenarium. Mycol Res 107:854–860
Wang HL, Kim SH, Breuil C (2001) A scytalone dehydratase gene from Ophiostoma floccosum restores the melanization and pathogenicity phenotypes of a melanin-deficient Colletotrichum lagenarium mutant. Mol Genet Genomics 266:126–132
Watanabe A, Fujii I, Tsai H, Chang Y, Kwon-Chung KJ, Ebizuka Y (2000) Aspergillus fumigatus alb1 encodes naphthopyrone synthase when expressed in Aspergillus oryzae. FEMS Microbiol Lett 192:39–44
Yoshimi A, Tsuda M, Tanaka C (2004) Cloning and characterization of the histidine kinase gene Dic1 from Cochliobolus heterostrophus that confers dicarboximide resistance and osmotic adaptation. Mol Genet Genomics 271:228–236
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Saitoh, Y., Izumitsu, K., Morita, A. et al. Cloning of Sal1, a scytalone dehydratase gene involved in melanin biosynthesis in Cochliobolus heterostrophus . Mycoscience 53, 330–334 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10267-011-0162-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10267-011-0162-z