Antifungal mechanism of citral via inhibition MoCHS5 and MoCHS7 expression leading to the disruption of cell wall integrity in Magnaporthe oryzae

In this study, we investigated the antifungal mechanism of citral on Magnaporthe oryzae by focusing on the key chitin synthase genes MoCHS5 and MoCHS7. Through a series of experiments with knockout, overexpression, and complementary strains, we demonstrated that citral inhibits the expression of MoCHS5 and MoCHS7, leading to disrupted cell wall integrity in the fungus