The role of fungal NADPH oxidase complexes in differentiation and virulence

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to play important roles in defense reactions of plants against pathogenic fungi. Research in our lab and elsewhere showed that ROS are also important for developmental processes and virulence for fungi. We study the role of ROS in two plant pathogens with totally different life style: Botrytis cinerea, the grey mould fungus, a necrotroph supporting and probably using the oxidative burst reaction of the host; Claviceps purpurea, the Ergot fungus, a biotrophic pathogen of grasses, avoiding (almost) any defense reaction by mimicking pollen tube growth. We focus on the role of NADPH oxidase complexes, which in both fungi have been shown to be of general importance for differentiation and virulence, though they have very distinct roles in both systems. We will study the specific functions of the two different Nox complexes present in both fungi, their composition, localization, regulation, and their general impact for the maintenance of Redox balance in the fungal cells, with special consideration of the specific adaptations due to the different life styles of the two pathogens, necrotroph vs. biotroph.