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Mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4 regulates iron homeostasis to modulate nitric oxide balance facilitating appressorial development in Curvularia lunata

Sun, Jiaying ; Huang, Hongming ; Li, Jiayang ; Xu, Jingru ; Jia, Jiaqi ; Li, Wenling ; Cheng, Jie ; Zhu, Dongyu ; Liu, Miaomiao and Yuan, Mingyue LU , et al. (2025) In New Phytologist 248(5). p.2428-2443
Abstract

Iron is indispensable for the vast majority of organisms, and iron homeostasis plays a pivotal role in both the physiology and pathogenesis of fungal pathogens. However, the underlying mechanisms by which iron homeostasis modulates fungal pathogenesis remain to be fully elucidated. We therefore focused on investigating the functions of mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4 in virulence. We conducted targeted gene deletions, expression analyses, biochemistry, and pathogenicity assays, demonstrating that ClMrs3/4 regulates appressorial development via maintenance of cellular iron balance in Curvularia lunata. ClMrs3/4 modulates virulence by influencing appressorial development in C. lunata, which is dependent on iron homeostasis.... (More)

Iron is indispensable for the vast majority of organisms, and iron homeostasis plays a pivotal role in both the physiology and pathogenesis of fungal pathogens. However, the underlying mechanisms by which iron homeostasis modulates fungal pathogenesis remain to be fully elucidated. We therefore focused on investigating the functions of mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4 in virulence. We conducted targeted gene deletions, expression analyses, biochemistry, and pathogenicity assays, demonstrating that ClMrs3/4 regulates appressorial development via maintenance of cellular iron balance in Curvularia lunata. ClMrs3/4 modulates virulence by influencing appressorial development in C. lunata, which is dependent on iron homeostasis. ClMrs3/4 controls nitric oxide (NO) balance via the nitrate (NO3−) assimilation pathway by modulating cytoplasmic iron levels, a process crucial for turgor pressure accumulation within the appressoria independent of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic Fe–S cluster biosynthesis. Our findings underscore the conserved role of Mrs3/4 in iron homeostasis among pathogenic fungi and propose a novel mechanism by which iron homeostasis regulates virulence, particularly through the NO3− assimilation pathway mediated by cytoplasmic iron levels to regulate appressorial development.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
appressorial development, Fe–S cluster, iron homeostasis, mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4, nitrate metabolism, nitric oxide, virulence
in
New Phytologist
volume
248
issue
5
pages
16 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105017852127
  • pmid:40999741
ISSN
0028-646X
DOI
10.1111/nph.70594
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a0ef4739-01cb-456e-802a-b5319b8551e5
date added to LUP
2025-12-05 14:12:22
date last changed
2025-12-19 16:11:10
@article{a0ef4739-01cb-456e-802a-b5319b8551e5,
  abstract     = {{<p>Iron is indispensable for the vast majority of organisms, and iron homeostasis plays a pivotal role in both the physiology and pathogenesis of fungal pathogens. However, the underlying mechanisms by which iron homeostasis modulates fungal pathogenesis remain to be fully elucidated. We therefore focused on investigating the functions of mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4 in virulence. We conducted targeted gene deletions, expression analyses, biochemistry, and pathogenicity assays, demonstrating that ClMrs3/4 regulates appressorial development via maintenance of cellular iron balance in Curvularia lunata. ClMrs3/4 modulates virulence by influencing appressorial development in C. lunata, which is dependent on iron homeostasis. ClMrs3/4 controls nitric oxide (NO) balance via the nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>) assimilation pathway by modulating cytoplasmic iron levels, a process crucial for turgor pressure accumulation within the appressoria independent of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic Fe–S cluster biosynthesis. Our findings underscore the conserved role of Mrs3/4 in iron homeostasis among pathogenic fungi and propose a novel mechanism by which iron homeostasis regulates virulence, particularly through the NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> assimilation pathway mediated by cytoplasmic iron levels to regulate appressorial development.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sun, Jiaying and Huang, Hongming and Li, Jiayang and Xu, Jingru and Jia, Jiaqi and Li, Wenling and Cheng, Jie and Zhu, Dongyu and Liu, Miaomiao and Yuan, Mingyue and Xiao, Shuqin and Xue, Chunsheng}},
  issn         = {{0028-646X}},
  keywords     = {{appressorial development; Fe–S cluster; iron homeostasis; mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4; nitrate metabolism; nitric oxide; virulence}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{2428--2443}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{New Phytologist}},
  title        = {{Mitochondrial iron transporter ClMrs3/4 regulates iron homeostasis to modulate nitric oxide balance facilitating appressorial development in Curvularia lunata}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.70594}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/nph.70594}},
  volume       = {{248}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}