# Functional analysis of the mating type genes in Verticillium dahliae

## TL;DR

This study explores the roles of mating type genes in the fungus Verticillium dahliae, revealing their functions in sexual reproduction and asexual processes like growth and stress resistance.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific roles of VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 in regulating mating, growth, and stress responses in V. dahliae.

## Key findings

- VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 regulate pheromone-related genes and chemotactic growth towards specific pheromones.
- VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 influence vegetative growth, carbon utilization, and stress resistance while reducing virulence.
- VdPpg1 lacks a signal peptide, while VdPpg2 does not trigger chemotactic growth.

## Abstract

Populations of the plant pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae display a complex and rich genetic diversity, yet the existence of sexual reproduction in the fungus remains contested. As pivotal genes, MAT genes play a crucial role in regulating cell differentiation, morphological development, and mating of compatible cells. However, the functions of the two mating type genes in V. dahliae, VdMAT1-1-1, and VdMAT1-2-1, remain poorly understood.

In this study, we confirmed that the MAT loci in V. dahliae are highly conserved, including both VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 which share high collinearity. The conserved core transcription factor encoded by the two MAT loci may facilitate the regulation of pheromone precursor and pheromone receptor genes by directly binding to their promoter regions. Additionally, peptide activity assays demonstrated that the signal peptide of the pheromone VdPpg1 possessed secretory activity, while VdPpg2, lacked a predicted signal peptide. Chemotactic growth assays revealed that V. dahliae senses and grows towards the pheromones FO-a and FO-α of Fusarium oxysporum, as well as towards VdPpg2 of V. dahliae, but not in response to VdPpg1. The findings herein also revealed that VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 regulate vegetative growth, carbon source utilization, and resistance to stressors in V. dahliae, while negatively regulating virulence.

These findings underscore the potential roles of VdMAT1-1-1 and VdMAT1-2-1 in sexual reproduction and confirm their involvement in various asexual processes of V. dahliae, offering novel insights into the functions of mating type genes in this species.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-024-01900-6.