Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchor Biosynthesis Pathway-Related Protein GPI7 Is Required for the Vegetative Growth and Pathogenicity of Colletotrichum graminicola

Abstract

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring is a common post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells and has been demonstrated to have a wide range of biological functions, such as signal transduction, cellular adhesion, protein transport, immune response, and maintaining cell wall integrity. More than 25 proteins have been proven to participate in the GPI anchor synthesis pathway which occurs in the cytoplasmic and the luminal face of the ER membrane. However, the essential proteins of the GPI anchor synthesis pathway are still less characterized in maize pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola. In the present study, we analyzed the biological function of the GPI anchor synthesis pathway-related gene, CgGPI7, that encodes an ethanolamine phosphate transferase, which is localized in ER. The vegetative growth and conidia development of the ΔCgGPI7 mutant was significantly impaired in C. graminicola. and qRT-PCR results showed that the transcriptional level of CgGPI7 was specifically induced in the initial infection stage and that the pathogenicity of ΔCgGPI7 mutant was also significantly decreased compared with the wild type. Furthermore, the ΔCgGPI7 mutant displayed more sensitivity to cell wall stresses, suggesting that CgGPI7 may play a role in the cell wall integrity of C. graminicola. Cell wall synthesis-associated genes were also quantified in the ΔCgGPI7 mutant, and the results showed that chitin and β-1,3-glucans synthesis genes were significantly up-regulated in ΔCgGPI7 mutants. Our results suggested that CgGPI7 is required for vegetative growth and pathogenicity and might depend on the cell wall integrity of C. graminicola.

Effector secretion and stability in the maize anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola requires N‐linked protein glycosylation and the ER chaperone pathway

“…O‐glycosylation and GPI anchor modification are other important protein post‐translational modifications in the ER. Protein O‐glycosylation and GPI anchor modification are also essential for development and pathogenicity of plant fungal pathogens (Goto, 2007; Guo et al ., 2016; Oliveira‐Garcia & Deising, 2016; Liu et al ., 2020; Mei et al ., 2022). More importantly, we identified nearly all ERQC pathway‐related proteins as N‐glycoproteins.…”

Systematic identification and functional characterization of the CFEM proteins in poplar fungus Marssonina brunnea

“…CFEM proteins are mostly located on the outer layer of the cell membrane as demonstrated in Pth11 and WISH of M. oryzae ( Dezwaan et al., 1999 ; Kou et al., 2016 ; Nazmiara and Subhankar, 2017 ). Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein is a family of plasma membrane-anchored proteins, which is significant for the whole life history of multiple eukaryotic cells ( Oliveira Garcia and Deising, 2016 ; Mei et al., 2022 ). Quite a lot of GPI-modified wall proteins of yeast were found important to osmotic stability and viability ( Teparić et al., 2004 ).…”

Genome analysis of three isolates of Stemphylium lycopersici differ in their virulence and sporulation ability: Identification of effectors, pathogenesis and virulence factors

“…The role of these two enzymes in virulence of S. lycopersici remains to be elucidated. In addition, three OGs (OG0001308, OG0004896 and OG0007636) encode GPI-anchored proteins that modify glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) post-transcriptionally, which might be involved in signalling, cell growth, immune response, cell development and other life processes (Mei et al, 2022;Park et al, 2013).…”