AREA — Verticillium dahliae

Summary

VDAG_01803, also known as VdAREA, encodes a nitrogen regulatory protein areA that belongs to the GATA transcription factor family and functions as both an RNA polymerase II-specific transcription activator and repressor. In Verticillium dahliae, this gene is associated with nitrogen utilization and nitrate assimilation, regulation of arginine breakdown, melanin anabolism, hyphal growth, penetration peg formation, response to nitrosative stress, detoxification, and chromatin modeling. It localizes to the nucleus, cytoplasm, cytosol, and cell division site. Associations with abnormal spore germination, increased pexophagy, altered autophagy, increased hydrostatic pressure and osmotic stress resistance, decreased apoptosis, and altered cell cycle progression have been noted. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to nitrate transport and uptake, nitrogen content, oxidative stress response, and reduced virulence.