FpCzf14 is a putative C 2 H 2 transcription factor regulating conidiation in Fusarium pseudograminearum

C 2 H 2 zinc finger transcription factors such as FlbC and Msn2, have broad regulatory roles in fungal growth and conidiation. In the present study, we cloned and characterized a C 2 H 2 zinc finger transcription factor gene, FpCzf14 , in the wheat pathogen Fusarium pseudograminearum . FpCzf14 was localized to the nuclei. The expression of FpCzf14 was significantly upregulated in conidia, suggesting that FpCzf14 might contribute to conidiation. Further analysis of the fpczf14 -deleted mutant ( Δfpczf14 ) demonstrated that it exhibited defect in conidiation, and this defect was restored in the complemented strain Δfpczf14 -C expressing FpCzf14 , demonstrating that FpCzf14 was essential for conidiation. Moreover, FpCzf14 was required for mycelial growth and pathogenicity of F. pseudograminearum . Microscopic observation results showed that Δfpczf14 produced only very few penetration pegs and invasive hyphae inside host tissues compared with WT and Δfpczf14 -C. Additionally, results of reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) showed that FpCzf14 regulated expression of several conidiation-related genes in F. pseudograminearum . In conclusion, FpCzf14 , as a core regulatory gene in conidiation, provides new insights into the mechanism of conidiation in F. pseudograminearum .