Signalling and regulation of gene expression in Botrytis cinerea in the interaction with its host plant Phaseolus vulgaris

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Bettina Tudzynski
• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
• Term: from 2001 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5320916

Previously, we have shown that one of the three G¿ subunits (BCG1) of the heterotrimeric G protein controls not only the cAMP-dependent signalling pathway, but also the Ca2+/calmodulin signalling pathway in the grey mold fungus Botrytis cinerea. We characterized components of this signalling cascade, such as the membrane-bound phospholipase C (BcPLC1) and thecalcineurin-dependent transcription factor BcCRZ1 and showed that the botrydial and botcinolide mycotoxin biosynthetic genes are regulated via this pathway. We demonstrated for the first time in a filamentous fungus the direct functional link between a G¿ subunit and PLC1.Mutants for components of the Ca2+/calcineurin signalling pathway, such as two potential calcium channels, calcineurin and calcipressin, a putative regulator of calcineurin, were generated and studied in detail. The regulation of calcineurin activity was studied on DNA and protein levels.The B. cinerea genome of two different strains is now public, microarrays, Y2H libraries, and a collection of mutants affected in the Ca2+/calmodulin signalling pathway were generated. By using all these powerful tools we want to finish the project in the next 12 month by identifying BcCRZ1- and calcipressin target genes, calcineurin and calcipressin protein interactionpartners, and the putative BcCRZ1-phosphorylating kinases and antagonists of calcineurin (PKA and/or GSK3).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants