The role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signalling components and the Ste12 transcription factor in germination and pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea

In all fungi studied so far, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades serve as central signalling complexes that are involved in various aspects of growth, stress response and infection. In this work, putative components of the yeast Fus3/Kss1-type MAP kinase cascade and the putative downstream transcription factor Ste12 were analysed in the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea. Deletion mutants of the MAP triple kinase Ste11, the MAP kinase kinase Ste7 and the MAP kinase adaptor protein Ste50 all resulted in phenotypes similar to that of the previously described BMP1 MAP kinase mutant, namely defects in germination, delayed vegetative growth, reduced size of conidia, lack of sclerotia formation and loss of pathogenicity. Mutants lacking Ste12 showed normal germination, but delayed infection as a result of low penetration efficiency. Two differently spliced ste12 transcripts were detected, and both were able to complement the ste12 mutant, except for a defect in sclerotium formation, which was only corrected by the full-sized transcript. Overexpression of the smaller ste12 transcript resulted in delayed germination and strongly reduced infection. Bc-Gas2, a homologue of Magnaporthe grisea Gas2 that is required for appressorial function, was found to be non-essential for growth and infection, but its expression was under the control of both Bmp1 and Ste12. In summary, the role and regulatory connections of the Fus3/Kss1-type MAP kinase cascade in B. cinerea revealed both common and unique properties compared with those of other plant pathogenic fungi, and provide evidence for a regulatory link between the BMP1 MAP kinase cascade and Ste12