Actin Is Required for Cellular Development and Virulence of Botrytis cinerea via the Mediation of Secretory Proteins

ABSTRACT Actin is a vital component of the cytoskeleton of living cells and is involved in several complex processes. However, its functions in plant-pathogenic fungi are largely unknown. In this paper, we found that deletion of the Botrytis cinerea actin gene bcactA reduced growth and sporulation of B. cinerea and lowered virulence. Based on iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification)-based proteomic analysis, we compared changes of the secretome in ΔbcactA and wild-type strains. A total of 40 proteins exhibited significant differences in abundance in ΔbcactA mutants compared with the wild type. These proteins included 11 down-accumulated cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs). Among them, two CWDEs, cellobiohydrolase (BcCBH) and β-endoglucanase (BcEG), were found to contribute to the virulence of B. cinerea, indicating that bcactA plays a crucial role in regulating the secretion of extracellular virulence factors. These findings unveil previously unknown functions of BcactA to mediate the virulence of B. cinerea and provide new mechanistic insights into the role of BcactA in the complex pathogenesis of B. cinerea. IMPORTANCE The cytoskeleton is an important network that exists in cells of all domains of life. In eukaryotic cells, actin is a vital component of the cytoskeleton. Here, we report that BcactA, an actin protein in B. cinerea, can affect the growth, sporulation, and virulence of B. cinerea. Furthermore, iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis showed that BcactA affects the abundance of 40 extracellular proteins, including 11 down-accumulated CWDEs. Among them, two CWDEs, cellobiohydrolase (BcCBH) and β-endoglucanase (BcEG), contributed to the virulence of B. cinerea, indicating that bcactA plays a crucial role in regulating extracellular virulence factors. These findings unveil previously unknown functions of BcactA in mediating growth, sporulation, and virulence of B. cinerea.