Rice Science ›› 2021, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (6): 567-578.DOI: 10.1016/j.rsci.2021.03.001

• Research Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Genome-Wide Identification of Zn2Cys6 Class Fungal-Specific Transcription Factors (ZnFTFs) and Functional Analysis of UvZnFTF1 in Ustilaginoidea virens

Tianqiao Song1,2, Xiong Zhang3, You Zhang1, Dong Liang1, Jiaoling Yan1, Junjie Yu1, Mina Yu1, Huijuan Cao1, Mingli Yong1, Xiayan Pan1, Zhongqiang Qi1, Yan Du1, Rongsheng Zhang1, Yongfeng Liu1,4()   

  1. 1Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
    2School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
    3Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China / Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China
    4School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
  • Received:2020-09-14 Accepted:2021-03-01 Online:2021-11-28 Published:2021-11-28

Abstract:

Transcription factors (TFs) orchestrate the regulation of cellular gene expression and thereby determine cell functionality. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of TFs containing domains, which named as ZnFTFs, both in ascomycete and basidiomycete fungi. We found that ZnFTFs were widely distributed in these fungal species, but there was more expansion of the ZnFTF class in Ascomycota than Basidiomycota. We identified 40 ZnFTFs in Ustilaginoidea virens, and demonstrated the involvement of UvZnFTF1 in vegetative growth, conidiation, pigment biosynthesis and pathogenicity. RNA-Seq analysis suggested that UvZnFTF1 may regulate different nutrient metabolism pathways, the production of secondary metabolites, and the expression of pathogen-host interaction genes and secreted protein- encoding genes. Analysis of the distribution of different fungal TFs in U. virens further demonstrated that UvZnFTFs make up a large TF family and may play essential biological roles in U. virens.

Key words: Zn2Cys6-type fungal-specific transcription factor, Ustilaginoidea virens, rice pathogen, gene silencing, RNA-Seq, metabolism pathway, effector expression, pathogen-host interaction