Role of the Histone Acetyltransferase Rtt109 in Development and Pathogenicity of the Rice Blast Fungus

Acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 (H3K56) by the fungal-specific histone acetyltransferase Rtt109 plays important roles in maintaining genome integrity and surviving DNA damage. Here, we investigated the implications of Rtt109-mediated response to DNA damage on development and pathogenesis of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (anamorph: Pyricularia oryzae). The ortholog of Rtt109 in M. oryzae (MoRtt109) was found via sequence homology and its functionality was confirmed by phenotypic complementation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rtt109 deletion strain. Targeted deletion of MoRtt109 resulted in a significant reduction in acetylation of H3K56 and rendered the fungus defective in hyphal growth and asexual reproduction. Furthermore, the deletion mutant displayed hypersensitivity to genotoxic agents, confirming the conserved importance of Rtt109 in genome integrity maintenance and genotoxic stress tolerance. Elevated expression of DNA repair genes and the results of the comet assay were consistent with constitutive endogenous DNA damage. Although the conidia produced from the mutant were not impaired in germination and appressorium morphogenesis, the mutant was significantly less pathogenic on rice leaves. Transcriptomic analysis provided insight into the factors underlying phenotypic defects that are associated with deficiency of H3K56 acetylation. Overall, our results indicate that MoRtt109 is a conserved histone acetyltransferase that affects proliferation and asexual fecundity of M. oryzae through maintenance of genome integrity and response to DNA damage.