Analysis of pexophagy during M. oryzae conidiation and pathogenic development.

(A) Confocal microscopy of conidiating cultures grown on PA medium, from M. oryzae GFP-SRL/RFP-Atg8 strain shows the lack of pexophagy therein during asexual development. Images shown are representative of the developmental stage depicted by the majority of vegetative mycelia, aerial hyphae or conidiophores. Dashed outline depicts aerial hyphae and its connecting mycelium. Scale bar equals 5 micron. (B) Pexophagy is naturally induced during appressorium formation and function. Conidia from the GFP-SRL/RFP-Atg8 strain were inoculated on inductive surface and visualized by confocal microscopy, at the indicated stages of germination (2-4 hpi), appressorium initiation (5-8 hpi) and appressorium maturation (14-16 hpi). For the assessment of in planta differentiation, conidia were inoculated on barley leaf explants and visualized by confocal microscopy at the indicated stages. Arrowheads denote vacuoles containing GFP-SRL (peroxisomes). Arrows denote vacuoles without GFP-SRL. Scale bar equals 10 micron.