PEP1 — Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287

Summary

FoPEP1 (FOXG_03994) on chromosome 4 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici 4287 encodes an aspartic endopeptidase with an aspergillopepsin-like catalytic domain, belonging to the peptidase A1 family. The gene is associated with proteolysis, mating, and translation elongation, and its product is localised extracellularly. FoPEP1 has been linked to infection stages in tomato, with expression observed at 2, 4, and 6 days post-inoculation and in vitro. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to effector activity, apoplastic localisation, and altered virulence, including both hypervirulence and reduced virulence, as well as to fusarium wilt disease in tomato.