Functional Analysis of the Nitrogen Metabolite Repression Regulator Gene in .

In , the nitrogen metabolite repression (NMR) regulator NmrA plays a major role in regulating the activity of the GATA transcription factor AreA during nitrogen metabolism. However, the function of in has not been previously studied. Here, we report the identification and functional analysis of in . Our work showed that the amino acid sequences of NmrA are highly conserved among species and that NmrA protein contains a canonical Rossmann fold motif. Deletion of slowed the growth of but significantly increased conidiation and sclerotia production. Moreover, seed infection experiments indicated that is required for the invasive virulence of . In addition, the Δ mutant showed increased sensitivity to rapamycin and methyl methanesulfonate, suggesting that could be responsive to target of rapamycin signaling and DNA damage. Furthermore, quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that might interact with other nitrogen regulatory and catabolic genes. Our study provides a better understanding of NMR and the nitrogen metabolism network in fungi.