Abstract：Functional analysis of the pathogencity related genes during the colonization process of rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae will contribute to uncovering its molecular pathogenesis mechanism. In this study, the function of putative phenylacetone monooxygenase gene (MoPAMO1) in M. oryzae was analyzed through bioinformatics and molecular genetics. The results showed that MoPAMO1 encoded a putative phenylacetone monooxygenase, which is most close to the ortholog of filamentous fungi Verticillium dahliae according to the phylogenetic analysis. The expression of MoPAMO1 was induced during the infection process of M. oryzae. MoPAMO1 deletion mutants displayed fewer conidia, while the vegetative growth and patheogencity showed as normal as the wild type strain(P<0.01)．Our results indicated that MoPAMO1 was involved in conidiation of M. oryzae, and its relationship with vegetative growth and pathogenicity was still undefined since there were other 5 putative phenylacetone monooxygenase genes, which may be functional redundancy. Our research establishes a foundation for further clarifying the biological function of MoPAMO1.
