P-072 - SsMFS - st1 Mediates Sugar Transport and Regulates the Virulence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum via the JA Signaling Pathway

Thursday, July 17, 2025

13:30 - 15:15

Location: Confex Hall 3

Crop resistance genetics and genomics

Presenting Author(s)

QP

Qi Peng

Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Industrial Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, CHINA

Author(s)

BX

Binjie Xu

Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
FL

Fengqi Lv

Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
XZ

Xiaoying Zhou

Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Industrial Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
LC

Lirun Chen

Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
ZL

Zihan Li

Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
YX

Yang Xiao

Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
yG

yue Guo

Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Industrial Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
MH

Maolong Hu

Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Industrial Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
JZ

Jiefu Zhang

Key Laboratory of Cotton and Rapeseed, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Industrial Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

The molecular mechanisms of carbon acquisition in fungal pathogenesis remain unclear. This study identified SsMFS-st1, a major facilitator superfamily transporter, as a crucial virulence determinant in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum regulated by jasmonate (JA) signaling. By integrating functional genomics and biochemical approaches, we found that SsMFS-st1 interacts with the host JA receptor homolog BnJAR1 (yeast-two hybrid) and is membrane-localized (tobacco transient expression). Pathogenicity tests showed that ΔSsMFS-st1 mutants had 43% reduced virulence (P < 0.01) on Brassica napus and 28% impaired sclerotia development. Transgenic strain analysis indicated SsMFS-st1-regulated hyphal morphogenesis; overexpression (OE) and co-suppression (CS) lines had 24% less radial growth and abnormal branching.

Transcriptomic analysis revealed SsMFS-st1's role in carbon metabolism, mainly through differential expression of hexose transporter genes (HXT cluster) and glycolytic components. Bioinformatics analysis detected conserved PF07690 domains related to monosaccharide transport. Notably, MeJA treatment reduced SsMFS-st1 expression by 62% (P < 0.05), showing its JA-responsiveness.

In summary, SsMFS-st1 mediates the fungus' competitive sugar uptake from host plants while being counter-regulated by JA-mediated defense. This transporter pathway link provides key targets for engineering sclerotinia-resistant plants through RNAi or HIGS.