PAKA — Fusarium culmorum CS7071

Summary

FCUL_11497.1 (MST20, STE20) on Fusarium culmorum chromosome 4 encodes a STE20 family serine/threonine protein kinase with MAPKKKK activity and histone H2BS14 kinase activity. The gene is associated with regulation of the MAPK cascade, the JNK cascade, and osmosensory signaling via the Sho1 osmosensor. It is linked to regulation of filamentous growth, signal transduction involved in filamentous growth, budding cell apical bud growth, chemotropism, chemotaxis, and parasexual conjugation with cellular fusion. Additional associations include negative regulation of sterol import and gene expression, regulation of exit from mitosis, integrin activation, dorsal closure, and upregulation of apoptosis and developmental processes. The protein localizes to the mating projection tip, incipient cellular bud site, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to reduced virulence.