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Protein kinase MoCK2 has been identified as a pivotal regulator in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae , orchestrating critical biological processes including hyphal growth, conidiation, and host infection. Building upon our previous investigations into its interplay with cellular energy metabolism and polar regeneration during appressorium formation, this study systematically delineated the MoCK2 regulatory network through integrated proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses. Three key mechanistic insights emerged from this research. Firstly, while MoCK2 deficiency did not directly impair mitochondrial functionality, it disrupted intracellular vesicular trafficking systems, thereby constraining substrate availability for mitochondrial metabolism and ultimately leading to energy homeostasis defects. Secondly, absence of MoCK2 nucleolar localization in regulatory subunit deletion mutants substantially compromised ribosome biogenesis, creating a bottleneck in protein synthesis capacity that failed to meet cellular demands. Thirdly, phosphoregulation analysis demonstrated MoCK2’s multifaceted role as a signaling node, modulating critical developmental transitions through phosphorylation-dependent control of conidial germination, appressorial morphogenesis, and host penetration apparatus assembly. These findings established MoCK2 as a central coordinator linking organelle dynamics, translational regulation, and infection-related signaling cascades. This study provides a conceptual framework for future investigations into the functional characterization of MoCK2, while also offering methodological references for CK2 research across diverse biological systems.

Background Previous studies have shown that protein kinase MoKin1 played an important role in the growth, conidiation, germination and pathogenicity in rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae . ΔMokin1 mutant showed significant phenotypic defects and significantly reduced pathogenicity. However, the internal mechanism of how MoKin1 affected the development of physiology and biochemistry remained unclear in M. oryzae . Result This study adopted a multi-omics approach to comprehensively analyze MoKin1 function, and the results showed that MoKin1 affected the cellular response to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress). Proteomic analysis revealed that the downregulated proteins in ΔMokin1 mutant were enriched mainly in the response to ER stress triggered by the unfolded protein. Loss of MoKin1 prevented the ER stress signal from reaching the nucleus. Therefore, the phosphorylation of various proteins regulating the transcription of ER stress-related genes and mRNA translation was significantly downregulated. The insensitivity to ER stress led to metabolic disorders, resulting in a significant shortage of carbohydrates and a low energy supply, which also resulted in severe phenotypic defects in ΔMokin1 mutant. Analysis of MoKin1-interacting proteins indicated that MoKin1 really took participate in the response to ER stress. Conclusion Our results showed the important role of protein kinase MoKin1 in regulating cellular response to ER stress, providing a new research direction to reveal the mechanism of MoKin1 affecting pathogenic formation, and to provide theoretical support for the new biological target sites searching and bio-pesticides developing.

Rice is a crucial food crop worldwide, but its yield and quality are significantly affected by Meloidogyne graminicola is a root knot nematode. No rice variety is entirely immune to this nematode disease in agricultural production. Thus, the fundamental strategy to combat this disease is to utilize rice resistance genes. In this study, we conducted transcriptome and metabolome analyses on two rice varieties, ZH11 and IR64. The results indicated that ZH11 showed stronger resistance than IR64. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the change in gene expression in ZH11 was more substantial than that in IR64 after M. graminicola infection. Moreover, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of the upregulated genes in ZH11 showed that they were primarily associated with rice cell wall construction, carbohydrate metabolism, and secondary metabolism relating to disease resistance, which effectively enhanced the resistance of ZH11. However, in rice IR64, the number of genes enriched in disease resistance pathways was significantly lower than that in ZH11, which further explained susceptibility to IR64. Metabolome analysis revealed that the metabolites detected in ZH11 were enriched in flavonoid metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway, compared to IR64, after M. graminicola infection. The comprehensive analysis of transcriptome and metabolome data indicated that flavonoid metabolism plays a crucial role in rice resistance to M. graminicola infection. The content of kaempferin, apigenin, and quercetin in ZH11 significantly increased after M. graminicola infection, and the expression of genes involved in the synthetic pathway of flavonoids also significantly increased in ZH11. Our study provides theoretical guidance for the precise analysis of rice resistance and disease resistance breeding in further research.

Ustiloxins are the main mycotoxin in rice false smut, a devastating disease caused by Ustilaginoidea virens . A typical phytotoxicity of ustiloxins is strong inhibition of seed germination, but the physiological mechanism is not clear. Here, we show that the inhibition of rice germination by ustiloxin A (UA) is dose-dependent. The sugar availability in UA-treated embryo was lower while the starch residue in endosperm was higher. The transcripts and metabolites responsive to typical UA treatment were investigated. The expression of several SWEET genes responsible for sugar transport in embryo was down-regulated by UA. Glycolysis and pentose phosphate processes in embryo were transcriptionally repressed. Most of the amino acids detected in endosperm and embryo were variously decreased. Ribosomal RNAs for growth were inhibited while the secondary metabolite salicylic acid was also decreased under UA. Hence, we propose that the inhibition of seed germination by UA involves the block of sugar transport from endosperm to embryo, leading to altered carbon metabolism and amino acid utilization in rice plants. Our analysis provides a framework for understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ustiloxins on rice growth and in pathogen infection.

Soybean stem and root rot disease, caused by Phytophthora sojae , is a considerable threat to soybean cultivation. P. sojae is known to secrete a diverse array of nearly 400 RxLR-dEER effectors. However, the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of most effectors remain largely unexplored. Plant U-box proteins (PUBs), a type of putative E3 ubiquitin ligase, play a crucial role in the plant immune regulation. Various of soybean PUBs were targeted by multiple of P. sojae effectors. In this study, it was determined that 14 of the 27 tested soybean PUBs interacted with Avr1d, and the expression levels of interacted PUBs appear to be higher than those of uninteracted PUBs when infected by P. sojae . However, Avr1d -knockout mutants retained full pathogenicity on the susceptible cultivar as the wild type did. Avh32 and Avh64, two effectors that shared some homology with Avr1d, were found to interact with GmPUB13, albeit at distinct regions. Interestingly, Avh64 could inhibit the ubiquitination activity. The triple mutants of Avr1d , Avh32 , and Avh64 still showed no decrease in pathogenicity on susceptible cultivars. These findings suggested functional redundancy among P. sojae effectors and indicated a saturation-attacking strategy employed by P. sojae “effectors squads” targeting soybean PUBs, which has great significance for understanding the functional mechanisms of Phytophthora secretomes and for controlling soybean Phytophthora stem and root rot.

Plant debris are habitats favoring survival and multiplication of various microbial species. During continuing mycological surveys of saprobic microfungi from plant debris in Yunnan Province, China, several Corynespora-like and Dendryphiopsis-like isolates were collected from dead branches of unidentified perennial dicotyledonous plants. Four barcodes, i.e., ITS, LSU, SSU and tef1-α, were amplified and sequenced. Morphological studies and multigene phylogenetic analyses by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference revealed three new Corynespora species (C. mengsongensis sp. nov., C. nabanheensis sp. nov. and C. yunnanensis sp. nov.) and a new Kirschsteiniothelia species (K. nabanheensis sp. nov.) within Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota. A list of identified and accepted species of Corynespora with major morphological features, host information and locality was compiled. This work improves the knowledge of species diversity of Corynespora and Kirschsteiniothelia in Yunnan Province, China.

Three new species of Distoseptispora, viz. D. mengsongensis, D. nabanheensis, and D. sinensis, are described and illustrated from specimens collected on dead branches of unidentified plants in Yunnan Province, China. Phylogenetic analyses of LSU, ITS, and TEF1 sequence data, using maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI), reveal the taxonomic placement of D. mengsongensis, D. nabanheensis, and D. sinensis within Distoseptispora. Both morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analyses supported D. mengsongensis, D. nabanheensis, and D. sinensis as three new taxa. To extend our knowledge of the diversity of Distoseptispora-like taxa, a list of recognized species of Distoseptispora with major morphological features, habitat, host, and locality is also provided.

Hirschmanniella mucronata is a plant‐parasitic nematode that is widespread in rice production areas and causes 10–25% yield losses a year on average. Here, we investigated the mechanism of resistance to this nematode by comparing the transcriptomes of roots from resistant (Jiabali) and susceptible (Bawangbian) varieties of rice. Of 39 233 unigenes, 2243. exhibited altered total expression levels between control and infected resistant and susceptible varieties. Significant differences were observed in the expression levels of genes related to stress, peptidase regulation or inhibition, oxidoreductase activity, peroxidase activity and antioxidant activity. The up‐regulated genes related to plant secondary metabolites, such as phenylpropanoid, lignin, cellulose or hemicellulose, may result in an increase in the degree of resistance of Jiabali to the H. mucronata infection compared with that of Bawangbian by affecting cell wall organization or biogenesis. Of the genes that responded similarly to H. mucronata infection, ~252 (~76.59%) showed greater changes (whether induced or suppressed) in RN155 (susceptible varieties infected by rice root nematode) than in RN51 (resistance varieties infected by rice root nematode). Nineteen pathogenesis‐related genes belonging to nine pathogenesis‐related gene families were significantly induced by H. mucronata in the infected roots of Jiabali and Bawangbian, and 13 differentially expressed genes showed changes in their abundance only in the susceptible Bawangbian variety. This study may help enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant resistance to nematodes. This study investigated the mechanism of resistance to Hirschmanniella mucronata by comparing the transcriptomes of roots from resistant and susceptible varieties of rice. The results showed that the up‐regulated genes related to plant secondary metabolites may result in an increase in the degree of resistance to H. mucronata infection compared with susceptibility by affecting cell wall organization or biogenesis.

The complete mitochondrial genome of plant pathogenic fungus, Fusarium equiseti, was sequenced. The circular molecule is 53,411 bp long with a GC content of 32.81%. It contains 22 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and 24 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Phylogenetic reconstructions confirmed that it has the closest relationship with Fusarium equiseti. The mitogenome analysis of Fusarium equiseti provides a molecular basis for further studies on molecular systematics and evolutionary dynamics.