Functional Analysis of the Melanin-Associated Gene CmMR1 in Coniothyrium minitans

is a sclerotial parasite, which has been investigated for commercial control of crop diseases caused by . Previously, we obtained a T-DNA insertional mutant, ZS-1TN24363, which did not produce melanin during conidiation. To understand the function of melanin in , we cloned the gene that was disrupted by the T-DNA insertion, and found that this gene, called , encoded a putative protein of 1,011 amino acids, which is a homolog of the transcription factor MR. Full-length contains 3,167 bp, with three exons and two introns. To confirm that the disrupted gene is responsible for the melanin-deficiency of the mutant, was disrupted and three targeted knockout mutants were obtained. Biological assays showed that the phenotype of the targeted knockout mutants was similar to that of the T-DNA insertional mutant. Furthermore, gene complementation confirmed that is responsible for the mutant phenotype. disruption did not affect hyphal growth, conidiation, and parasitization of , however, the ROS accumulation increased and tolerance to UV light decreased significantly in the mutants. Our result may enhance the understanding of melanin in the ecology of on molecular level.