Mutation of an arginine biosynthesis gene causes reduced pathogenicity in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis

• Published in: Molecular plant-microbe interactions Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 580 - 584
• Main Authors: NAMIKI, Fumio, MATSUNAGA, Michiko, OKUDA, Mitsuru, INOUE, Iori, NISHI, Kazufumi, FUJITA, Yoshikatsu, TSUGE, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St Paul, MN APS Press 01.04.2001; The American Phytopathological Society
• Subjects: ARG1 gene; Arginine - biosynthesis; argininosuccinate lyase; auxotrophy; Biological and medical sciences; Cucumis melo; Cucurbitaceae - microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal plant pathogens; Fusarium - genetics; Fusarium - pathogenicity; Fusarium oxysporum melonis; Genes, Fungal; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Variation, races, biotypes, parasitic specialization, genetics; Virulence - genetics; Fusarium oxysporum; Amidine-lyases; Plant pathogen; Enzyme; Lyases; Biosynthesis; Carbon-nitrogen lyases; Fungi; Argininosuccinate lyase; Pathogenicity; Arginine; Fungi Imperfecti; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0894-0282; 1943-7706
• DOI: 10.1094/mpmi.2001.14.4.580

Restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) mutagenesis was used to tag genes required for pathogenicity of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Of the 1,129 REMI transformants tested, 13 showed reduced pathogenicity on susceptible melon cultivars. One of the mutants, FMMP95-1, was an arginine auxotroph. Structural analysis of the tagged site in FMMP95-1 identified a gene, designated ARG1, which possibly encodes argininosuccinate lyase, catalyzing the last step for arginine biosynthesis. Complementation of FMMP95-1 with the ARG1 gene caused a recovery in pathogenicity, indicating that arginine auxotrophic mutation causes reduced pathogenicity in this pathogen.