MSB — Verticillium dahliae

Summary

VDAG_00424 (MSB) in Verticillium dahliae encodes the MSB2 protein, which has osmosensor activity. This gene is associated with the osmosensory signaling pathway via the Sho1 osmosensor and the HOG response, as well as signal transduction involved in filamentous growth, cell polarization, fungal-type cell wall organization, and invasive growth. The MSB2 protein localizes to sites of polarized growth, the plasma membrane, vacuolar membrane, and extracellular space. It is linked to vascular wilt disease in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and to Arabidopsis thaliana. Studies of related genes in other species connect the MSB2 family to loss of pathogenicity, and the family has been identified in various fungi including Fusarium species and Verticillium nonalfalfae.