RNAi-mediated silencing of MAP kinase signalling genes (Fmk1, Hog1, and Pbs2) in Fusarium oxysporum reduces pathogenesis on tomato plants

•Fmk1, Hog1, and Pbs2 MAP kinase signalling genes were effectively silenced in Fusarium oxysporum with RNAi constructs.•Silencing of Fmk1, Hog1, and Pbs2 genes in F. oxysporum transformants showed significantly reduced pathogenesis in tomato.•MAP kinase genes can be potential targets for engineering fungal resistance in crops by host-induced gene silencing.

Fusarium oxysporum is a soil-borne plant fungal pathogen, and causes colossal losses in several crop plants including tomato. Effective control measures include the use of harmful fungicides and resistant cultivars, but these methods have shown limited success. Conventional methods to validate fungal pathogenic genes are labour intensive. Therefore, an alternative strategy is required to efficiently characterize unknown pathogenic genes. RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a potential tool to functionally characterize novel fungal pathogenic genes and also to control fungal diseases. Here, we report an efficient method to produce stable RNAi transformants of F. oxysporum using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT). We have transformed F. oxysporum spores using RNAi constructs of Fmk1, Hog1, and Pbs2 MAP kinase signalling genes. Fmk1 RNAi fungal transformants showed loss of surface hydrophobicity, reduced invasive growth on tomato fruits and hypo-virulence on tomato seedlings. Hog1 and Pbs2 RNAi transformants showed altered conidial size, and reduced invasive growth and pathogenesis. These results showed that AMT using RNAi constructs is an effective approach for dissecting the role of genes involved in pathogenesis in F. oxysporum and this could be extended for other fungal systems. The obtained knowledge can be easily translated for developing fungal resistant crops by RNAi.