ATG8 — Fusarium odoratissimum str. race 4

Summary

FoATG8 (FOC4_G10004476) in Fusarium odoratissimum race 4 encodes a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein belonging to the Atg8-like family, which contains a ubiquitin-like domain. The gene is associated with autophagy, mitophagy, protein transport and secretion, asexual sporulation, anatomical structure formation during morphogenesis, and the cellular response to nitrogen starvation. Its product localizes to the phagophore assembly site (PAS), cytoplasmic vesicles, the Cvt vesicle membrane, fungal-type vacuoles and their membranes, and adiposomes. FoATG8 is associated with delayed autophagy, abnormal filamentous growth, decreased lifespan, absent cell cycle progression, delayed vegetative growth, and altered nuclear import, pexophagy, and nucleophagy. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to reduced virulence, loss of pathogenicity, and oxidative stress response.