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Divergent roles of the Rag GTPases MoGtr1 and MoGtr2 in TOR signaling, autophagy, and pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.06.002
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This study was granted by the Natural Science Foundations of Anhui province (2308085MC91 to MG), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32202252 to SSW), and the technical system of rice industry of Anhui Province.

  • Received Date: 2026-02-05
  • Accepted Date: 2026-06-02
  • Rev Recd Date: 2026-06-01
  • Available Online: 2026-06-06
  • In eukaryotes, conserved Rag-family GTPases are crucial for TOR signaling, integrating nutrient sensing with cellular growth. However, their functions in filamentous fungal pathogens are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that MoGtr1 and MoGtr2, the Rag GTPase homologs, form a functional heterodimer in Magnaporthe oryzae. Phenotypic analyses reveal that the △Mogtr1 mutant exhibits severe defects in autophagy, asexual reproduction, vacuolar homeostasis, and virulence. In contrast, the △Mogtr2 mutant is primarily impaired in autophagy. The △Mogtr1/2 double mutant shows additive defects in autophagy and mild attenuation in asexual reproduction and pathogenicity. Critically, MoGtr1 acts as an important GTP-dependent molecular switch. The GTP-bound form of MoGtr1 activates TOR signaling, maintains basal autophagy, and confers tolerance to hydrogen peroxide, whereas its GDP-bound form inhibits TOR, promotes autophagy, and increases sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. Thus, MoGtr1 serves as a master regulator of development and infection, while MoGtr2 fine-tunes autophagy. Our study elucidates the divergent roles of Gtr homologs in a major fungal pathogen and proposes new strategies for disease intervention.
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