벼도열병균에서의 methionine sulfoxide reductase B 유전자의 분자적 특성

Identification and Molecular Characterization of Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase B Gene in Rice Blast Fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae

벼도열병균은 벼의 주요 병해인 벼도열병의 원인균이다. 식물병원균의 침입 시 식물체로부터 발생하는 ROS는 식물의 방어기작으로 중요하며, 특히 아미노산의 하나인 methionine은 ROS에 의해 산화되어 methionine sulfoxide로 변화될 수 있다. 식물병원균은 식물체로 부터의 ROS에 의한 산화반응을 회피하기 위해 methionine sulfoxide reductase B (MSRB)와 같은 항산화 효소를 가지는데 본 연구에서는 벼도열병균에서의 MSRB 유전자를 동정하고 분자적 특성을 살펴보았다. MSRB 유전자는 벼도열병균의 게놈 상에 단일 유전자로 존재하며 과산화수소 처리에 의해 유전자발현이 다소 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 이러한 결과로 MSRB 유전자는 벼도열병균의 항산화 기작에 관여할 가능성이 높다고 판단된다.

Magnaporthe oryzae, a major cause of rice blast, is one of the most destructive plant fungal pathogens. Secretion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the infection phase of plant pathogenic fungus plays a key role in the defense mechanism of a plant. ROS causes oxidative damage and functional modification to the proteins in a pathogenic fungus. Methionine, especially, is a major target of ROS, which oxidizes it to methionine sulfoxide. To survive from the attack of ROS, plant pathogenic fungus has antioxidative systems - one example would be methionine sulfoxide reductase B (MSRB), which reverses the oxidative alteration of methionine to methionine sulfoxide. In the present study, identification and molecular characterization of the MSRB gene in M. oryzae KJ201 were investigated. The MSRB gene was amplified by PCR from the M. oryzae KJ201 genomic DNA. The copy number of MSRB in the genome of M. oryzae KJ201 was identified by Southern blot analysis, which revealed that the gene exists as a single copy. To study the molecular function of an MSRB gene, the expression level of the MSRB gene was assayed with hydrogen peroxide treatment by Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR. The expression of the MSRB gene was increased by treatment of hydrogen peroxide, without significant correlation to hydrogen peroxide concentrations. These results indicate that the MSRB gene in M. oryzae KJ201 could contribute to protection against plant defense compounds such as ROS and offer a novel strategy for the control of rice blast.