Phylogenic analysis revealed an expanded C2H2-homeobox subfamily and expression profiles of C2H2 zinc finger gene family in Verticillium dahliae

• Systematic identification and characterization of C2H2 zinc finger genes were performed in V. dahliae.
• A conserved and expanded C2H2-homeobox subfamily containing seven genes was found in V. dahliae.
• Transcriptome analysis of C2H2 zinc finger genes was performed under different conditions.

C2H2 zinc finger (CZF) proteins are a major class of transcription factors that play crucial roles in fungal growth, development, various stress responses, and virulence. Little genome-wide data is available regarding the roles of CZF proteins in Verticillium dahliae, a destructive pathogen that causes vascular wilt disease in more than 200 plant species. We identified a total of 79 typical CZF genes in V. dahliae. Comparative analysis revealed that four plant pathogenic fungi, V. dahliae, Fusarium oxysporum, Magnaporthe oryzae, and Botrytis cinerea, have comparable numbers of predicted CZF genes with similar characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis identified a C2H2-homeobox subfamily in V. dahliae containing seven genes with similar gene structures. V. dahliae and F. oxysporum (Hypocreomycetidae) have more genes of this subfamily than M. oryzae (Sordariomycetidae) and B. cinerea (Leotiomycetes). Furthermore, gene-expression analysis of the smoke tree wilt fungus V. dahliae strain XS11 using digital gene-expression profiling and RT-qPCR revealed that a number of CZF genes were differentially expressed during microsclerotia formation, nutritional starvation, and simulated in planta conditions. Furthermore, the expression profiles revealed that some CZF genes were overrepresented during multiple stages, indicating that they might play diverse roles. Our results provide useful information concerning the functions of CZF genes in microsclerotia formation, nutritional stress responses, and pathogenicity in V. dahliae, and form a basis for future functional studies of these genes.