A CRISPR/Cas9-Based Study of <i>CgloRPCYG</i>, a Gene That Regulates Pathogenicity, Conidial Yield, and Germination in <i>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</i>
He Zhang,
Yu-Qi Xia,
Yang Xia,
Meng-Ting Zhang,
Zi Ye,
Rui-Qing Sun,
Xiao-Mei Liu,
Jin-Ji Pu
Affiliations
He Zhang
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Yu-Qi Xia
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Yang Xia
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Meng-Ting Zhang
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Zi Ye
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Rui-Qing Sun
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Xiao-Mei Liu
College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Jin-Ji Pu
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Grops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
The filamentous fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causative agent of one of the most serious diseases that damage plant fruit. In this study, we discovered and experimentally characterized a new gene in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides named CgloRPCYG. The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant and complementary strain of CgloRPCYG were then obtained by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protoplast transformation to determine the related phenotypes. Compared with the wild-type strain and complementary mutant, the pathogenicity of the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant was significantly decreased, the conidial yield was significantly reduced, and conidial germination was significantly delayed. These data indicate that CgloRPCYG contributes to pathogenicity, conidial yield, and germination in C. gloeosporioides. The successful application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in C. gloeosporioides also confirms its utility in filamentous fungi for fundamental research and practical application. Furthermore, CgloRPCYG is a potential target gene for use in the development of plant protection technologies, such as spray-induced gene silencing, with the aim of controlling plant anthracnose disease caused by C. gloeosporioides.
