The Gα subunit BCG1, the phospholipase C (BcPLC1) and the calcineurin phosphatase co-ordinately regulate gene expression in the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea

The G alpha subunit BCG1 is essential for pathogenicity of the grey mould fungus Botrytis cinerea. Several processes such as the transition from primary infection to secondary invasive growth and the production of the phytotoxin botrydial are regulated by BCG1 via a cAMP-independent pathway. Our recent finding that the botrydial biosynthesis genes belong to the group of Ca2+/calcineurin-dependent genes suggested for the first time a connection between this G alpha subunit and the calcineurin signalling pathway. To investigate whether this co-regulation of genes by BCG1 and calcineurin is a common feature, a cDNA macroarray approach was used to compare the gene expression pattern of the wild-type and the Delta bcg1 mutant, non-treated or treated with the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporin A. We identified three sets of genes whose expression was regulated either by both BCG1 and calcineurin, or only by one of them. Among the BCG1/calcineurin-co-regulated genes, we found a new gene cluster coding for a yet unknown polyketide secondary metabolite. Furthermore, we show for the first time in a phytopathogenic fungus that the phospholipase C (BcPLC1) is a component of the BCG1- and calcineurin-dependent signalling pathway as several BCG1- and calcineurin-dependent genes were downregulated in bcplc1 knock-down mutants.