Clonostachys chloroleuca 67-1 (formerly C. rosea 67-1) is a potential biocontrol fungus active against various fungal plant pathogens. From transcriptome sequencing of 67-1 parasitizing sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, we identified the transcription factor-encoding gene crtf that is significantly up-regulated during mycoparasitism. Transcription factors are widely distributed in fungi and involved in multiple biological processes. However, their role and regulatory mechanisms in mycoparasitism remain poorly understood. In this study, the function of crtf during 67-1 mycoparasitism was verified through gene knockout and complementation. The results showed that deletion of crtf did not influence fungal morphological characteristics, but the ability of the Δcrtf mutant to parasitize sclerotia and suppress soybean Sclerotinia white mold in the greenhouse was markedly diminished compared with the wild type strain. The biocontrol activity of Δcrtf recovered wild type levels when complemented with a plasmid expressing the crtf gene. These findings suggest that crtf plays a crucial role in C. chloroleuca mycoparasitism and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying C. chloroleuca mycoparasitism on plant pathogenic fungi.

Clonostachys chloroleuca 67-1（以前称为 C. rosea 67-1）是一种潜在的生物防治真菌，对多种真菌植物病原体具有活性。从转录组测序的67-1寄生性菌核盘菌菌核，我们确定了在分支菌病期间明显上调的转录因子编码基因crtf。转录因子广泛分布在真菌中，并参与多种生物学过程。然而，它们在支原体炎中的作用和调节机制仍然知之甚少。在这项研究中，通过基因敲除和互补证实了crtf在67-1支原体寄生虫期间的功能。结果表明删除了crtf不影响真菌的形态学特征，但与野生型菌株相比，Δcrtf突变体寄生于温室中的菌核并抑制大豆菌核白霉病的能力显着降低。当与表达crtf基因的质粒互补时，Δcrtf的生物防治活性恢复了野生型水平。这些发现表明crtf在C. chloroleuca真菌寄生虫中起着至关重要的作用，并提供了对C. chloroleuca真菌寄生虫对植物病原性真菌的分子机制的深入了解。