The Fungal-Specific Transcription Factor VpFSTF1 Is Required for Virulence in Valsa pyri

Abstract

Valsa pyri is the causal agent of pear canker disease, which leads to enormous losses of pear production in eastern Asian, especially China. In this study, we identified a fungal-specific transcription factor 1 (termed as VpFSTF1) from V. pyri, which is highly conserved in fungi. To characterize its functions, we generated mutant and complementation strains in V. pyri and found that VpFSTF1 mutants lost the ability to form fruiting bodies along with the reduced virulence. The radial growth of VpFSTF1 mutant was sensitive to increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and salicylic acid (SA). Moreover, RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis of wild-type (WT) and