The COMPASS‐like complex modulates fungal development and pathogenesis by regulating H3K4me3‐mediated targeted gene expression in Magnaporthe oryzae

Histone‐3‐lysine‐4 (H3K4) methylation is catalysed by the multiprotein complex known as the Set1/COMPASS or MLL/COMPASS‐like complex, an element that is highly evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. However, the components and mechanisms by which the COMPASS‐like complex targets the H3K4 methylation of plant‐pathogenic genes in fungi remain elusive. Here we present a comprehensive analysis combining biochemical, molecular, and genome‐wide approaches to characterize the roles of the COMPASS‐like family in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, a model plant pathogen. We purified and identified six conserved subunits of COMPASS from M. oryzae: MoBre2 (Cps60/ASH2L), MoSpp1 (Cps40/Cfp1), MoSwd2 (Cps35), MoSdc1 (Cps25/DPY30), MoSet1 (MLL/ALL), and MoRbBP5 (Cps50), using an affinity tag on MoBre2. We determined the sequence repeat in dual‐specificity kinase splA and ryanodine receptors domain of MoBre2 can interact directly with the DPY30 domain of MoSdc1 in vitro. Furthermore, we found that deletion of the genes encoding COMPASS subunits of MoBre2, MoSPP1, and MoSwd2 caused similar defects regarding invasive hyphal development and pathogenicity. Genome‐wide profiling of H3K4me3 revealed that it has remarkable co‐occupancy at the transcription start site regions of target genes. Significantly, these target genes are often involved in spore germination and pathogenesis. Decreased gene expression caused by the deletion of MoBre2, MoSwd2, or MoSpp1 was highly correlated with a decrease in H3K4me3. These results suggest that MoBre2, MoSpp1, and MoSwd2 function as a whole COMPASS complex, contributing to fungal development and pathogenesis by regulating H3K4me3‐targeted genes in M. oryzae.