Bax Inhibitor MoBi-1 Is Required for Conidiation, Pathogenicity, and Stress Responses in <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i>

<i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i> serves as a model organism for studying the molecular biology of filamentous fungi and the pathogenic mechanisms of fungal pathogens. It also poses a significant threat to rice production in China. Bax inhibitor-1 (Bi-1), a protein with evolutionary conservation...

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Main Authors: Shuai Meng, Yangyang Shen, Dixuan Zhang, Liutao Bao, Hao Cao, Gening Song, Chenshun Xie, Jane S. Jagernath, Guoqiang Shen, Jie Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/359
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Summary:<i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i> serves as a model organism for studying the molecular biology of filamentous fungi and the pathogenic mechanisms of fungal pathogens. It also poses a significant threat to rice production in China. Bax inhibitor-1 (Bi-1), a protein with evolutionary conservation, functions as an inhibitor of programmed cell death induced by the proapoptotic protein Bax. Despite the widespread presence of Bi-1 proteins in hyphal fungi, their biological functions have not been extensively characterized. Here, we characterized the function of <i>MoBI</i>-1, a putative Bax-inhibitor protein in <i>M. oryzae</i>, which is located in the mitochondria and participates in conidiation, stress adaptation, and pathogenicity. Further investigations revealed that MoBi-1 is also essential for the regulation of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Remarkably, experimental evidence indicates that MoBi-1 does not seem to function in inhibiting Bax-induced programmed cell death, thus lacking inherent Bax inhibitory function, which broadens the existing understanding of Bax inhibitor-1’s function and provides significant new insights into the disease-causing mechanisms of <i>M. oryzae</i>.
ISSN:2309-608X