Insights into VdCmr1-mediated protection against high temperature stress and UV irradiation in Verticillium dahliae

The fungus Verticillium dahliae causes vascular wilt disease on more than 200 plant species worldwide. This fungus can survive for years in soil as melanized microsclerotia. We found that VdCmr1, a transcription factor, is required for the melanin production and increased survival following UV irradiation in V. dahliae but not for microsclerotia production or virulence. Here, we provided evidence how VdCmr1 protects against high temperature (HT) and UV irradiation in V. dahliae. The results indicate that VdCmr1 mediates entry to the diapause period in V. dahliae in response to HT and contributes to the expression of proteins to minimize protein misfolding and denaturation. VdCmr1 deletion results in the misregulation of DNA repair machinery, suggestive of reduced DNA repair capacity following UV irradiation and in correlation with the low survival rate of UV-treated VdCmr1 mutants. We discovered a putative VdCmr1-dependent gene cluster associated with secondary metabolism and stress responses. We also functionally characterized two VdCmr1-responsive genes participating in HT and UV response. These results shed further light on the roles of VdCmr1 in protection from HT or UV irradiation, and the additional insights into the mechanisms of this protection may be useful to exploit for more effective disease control.