CgMFS1, a Major Facilitator Superfamily Transporter, Is Required for Sugar Transport, Oxidative Stress Resistance, and Pathogenicity of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from Hevea brasiliensis

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the main causal agent of anthracnose in various plant species. Determining the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity and fungicide resistance of C. gloeosporioides could help build new strategies for disease control. The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) has multiple roles in the transport of a diverse range of substrates. In the present study, an MFS protein CgMFS1 was characterized in C. gloeosporioides. This protein contains seven transmembrane domains, and its predicted 3D structure is highly similar to the reported hexose transporters. To investigate the biological functions of CgMFS1, the gene knock-out mutant ΔCgMFS1 was constructed. A colony growth assay showed that the mutant was remarkably decreased in vegetative growth in minimal medium supplemented with monosaccharides and oligosaccharides as the sole carbon sources, whereas it showed a similar growth rate and colony morphology as wild types when using soluble starch as the carbon source. A stress assay revealed that CgMFS1 is involved in oxidative stress but not in the fungicide resistance of C. gloeosporioides. Furthermore, its pathogenicity was significantly impaired in the mutant, although its appressorium formation was not affected. Our results demonstrate that CgMFS1 is required for sugar transport, resistance to oxidative stress, and the pathogenicity of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from Hevea brasiliensis.