Maize gene expression during infection with Ustilago maydis strains SG200Dpit1 and SG200Dpit2

Ustilago maydis is a basidiomycete fungus that causes smut disease in maize. Most prominent symptoms of the disease are plant tumors, which can be induced by U. maydis on all aerial parts of the plant. We identified two linked genes, pit1 and pit2, which are specifically expressed during plant colonization. Deletion mutants for either pit1 or pit2 are unable to induce tumor development and elicit plant defense responses.

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Doehlemann G, Reissmann S, Assmann D, Fleckenstein M, Kahmann R