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Wang F, Zhou W, Yang M, Niu J, Huang W, Chen Z, Chen Y, Wang D, Zhang J, Wu S, Yan S. Structure-guided discovery of novel AflG inhibitors for aflatoxin contamination control in aspergillus flavus. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1425790. [PMID: 39070265 PMCID: PMC11272468 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1425790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Aflatoxins (AFs) are highly carcinogenic metabolites produced by Aspergillus species that can contaminate critical food staples, leading to significant health and economic risks. The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase AflG catalyzes an early step in AF biosynthesis, resulting in the conversion of averantin (AVN) to 5'-hydroxy-averantin. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the AflG-AVN interaction remains unclear. Here, we sought to understand the structural features of AflG in complex with AVN to enable the identification of inhibitors targeting the AflG binding pocket. To achieve this goal, we employed a comprehensive approach combining computational and experimental methods. Structural modeling and microsecond-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations yielded new insights into AflG architecture and unveiled unique ligand binding conformations of the AflG-AVN complex. High-throughput virtual screening of more than 1.3 million compounds pinpointed specific subsets with favorable predicted docking scores. The resulting compounds were ranked based on binding free energy calculations and evaluated with MD simulations and in vitro experiments with Aspergillus flavus. Our results revealed two compounds significantly inhibited AF biosynthesis. Comprehensive structural analysis elucidated the binding sites of competitive inhibitors and demonstrated their regulation of AflG dynamics. This structure-guided pipeline successfully enabled the identification of novel AflG inhibitors and provided novel molecular insights that will guide future efforts to develop effective therapeutics that prevent AF contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghua Wang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weijie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Jinlu Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjie Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhaofu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Jun Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shaowen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Wu S, Huang W, Wang F, Zou X, Li X, Liu CM, Zhang W, Yan S. Integrated metabolomics and lipidomics analyses suggest the temperature-dependent lipid desaturation promotes aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1137643. [PMID: 37065116 PMCID: PMC10102665 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1137643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature is one of the main factors affecting aflatoxin (AF) biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus. Previous studies showed that AF biosynthesis is elevated in A. flavus at temperatures between 28°C-30°C, while it is inhibited at temperatures above 30°C. However, little is known about the metabolic mechanism underlying temperature-regulated AF biosynthesis. In this study, we integrated metabolomic and lipidomic analyses to investigate the endogenous metabolism of A. flavus across 6 days of mycelia growth at 28°C (optimal AF production) and 37°C (no AF production). Results showed that both metabolite and lipid profiles were significantly altered at different temperatures. In particular, metabolites involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism were up-regulated at 37°C on the second day but down-regulated from days three to six. Moreover, lipidomics and targeted fatty acids analyses of mycelia samples revealed a distinct pattern of lipid species and free fatty acids desaturation. High degrees of polyunsaturation of most lipid species at 28°C were positively correlated with AF production. These results provide new insights into the underlying metabolic changes in A. flavus under temperature stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaowen Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjie Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fenghua Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinlu Zou
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chun-Ming Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenyang Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shijuan Yan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shijuan Yan,
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