Fungal Pls1 tetraspanins as key factors of penetration into host plants: a role in re-establishing polarized growth in the appressorium?

The ability of plant pathogenic fungi to infect their host depends on successful penetration into plant tissues. This process often involves the differentiation of a specialized cell, the appressorium. Signalling pathways required for appressorium formation are conserved among fungi. However, the functions involved in appressorium maturation and penetration peg formation are still poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that Pls1 tetraspanins control an appressorial function required for penetration into host plants and are likely conserved among plant pathogenic fungi. Tetraspanins are small membrane proteins widely distributed among ascomycetes and basidiomycetes defining two distinct families; Pls1 tetraspanins are found in both ascomycetes and basidiomycetes and Tsp2 tetraspanins are specific to basidiomycetes. Both fungal tetraspanins families have similar secondary structures shared with animal tetraspanins. Pls1 tetraspanins are present as single genes in genomes of ascomycetes, allowing a unique opportunity to study their function in appressorium mediated penetration. Experimental evidence suggests that Pls1 tetraspanins are required for the formation of the penetration peg at the base of the appressorium, probably through re-establishing cell polarity.