AUTHOR=Zhu Wenjun , Wei Wei , Wu Yayun , Zhou Yang , Peng Fang , Zhang Shaopeng , Chen Ping , Xu Xiaowen 

TITLE=BcCFEM1, a CFEM Domain-Containing Protein with Putative GPI-Anchored Site, Is Involved in Pathogenicity, Conidial Production, and Stress Tolerance in Botrytis cinerea

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01807

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.01807

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>We experimentally isolated and characterized a CFEM protein with putative GPI-anchored site BcCFEM1 in <italic>Botrytis cinerea</italic>. BcCFEM1 contains a CFEM (common in several fungal extracellular membrane proteins) domain with the characteristic eight cysteine residues at N terminus, and a predicted GPI modification site at C terminus. <italic>BcCFEM1</italic> was significantly up-regulated during early stage of infection on bean leaves and induced chlorosis in <italic>Nicotiana benthamiana</italic> leaves using <italic>Agrobacterium</italic> infiltration method. Targeted deletion of <italic>BcCFEM1</italic> in <italic>B. cinerea</italic> affected virulence, conidial production and stress tolerance, but not growth rate, conidial germination, colony morphology, and sclerotial formation. However, over expression of <italic>BcCFEM1</italic> did not make any observable phenotype change. Therefore, our data suggested that BcCFEM1 contributes to virulence, conidial production, and stress tolerance. These findings further enhance our understanding on the sophisticated pathogenicity of <italic>B. cinerea</italic> beyond necrotrophic stage, highlighting the importance of CFEM protein to <italic>B. cinerea</italic> and other broad-host-range necrotrophic pathogens.</p>