1
|
Ding Y, Ma N, Haseeb HA, Dai Z, Zhang J, Guo W. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of toxigenic Fusarium verticillioides in response to variation of temperature and water activity on maize kernels. Int J Food Microbiol 2024; 410:110494. [PMID: 38006847 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Fusarium verticillioides is one of the important mycotoxigenic pathogens of maize since it causes severe yield losses and produces fumonisins (FBs) to threaten human and animal health. Previous studies showed that temperature and water activity (aw) are two pivotal environmental factors affecting F. verticillioides growth and FBs production during maize storage. However, the genome-wide transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in F. verticillioides under the stress combinations of temperature and aw has not been studied in detail. In this study, DEGs of F. verticillioides and their related regulatory pathways were analyzed in response to the stress of temperature and aw combinations using RNA-Seq. The results showed that the optimal growth conditions for F. verticillioides were 0.98 aw and 25 °C, whereas the highest per-unit yield of the fumonisin B1 (FB1) was observed at 0.98 aw and 15 °C. The RNA-seq analysis showed that 9648 DEGs were affected by temperature regardless of aw levels, whereas only 218 DEGs were affected by aw regardless of temperature variations. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that a decrease in temperature at both aw levels led to a significant upregulation of genes associated with 24 biological processes, while three biological processes were downregulated. Furthermore, when aw was decreased at both temperatures, seven biological processes were significantly upregulated and four were downregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the genes, whose expression was upregulated when the temperature decreased, were predominantly associated with the proteasome pathway, whereas the genes, whose expression was downregulated when the aw decreased, were mainly linked to amino acid metabolism. For the FB1, except for the FUM15 gene, the other 15 biosynthetic-related genes were highly expressed at 0.98 aw and 15 °C. In addition, the expression pattern analysis of other biosynthetic genes involved in secondary metabolite production and regulation of fumonisins production was conducted to explore how this fungus responds to the stress combinations of temperature and aw. Overall, this study primarily examines the impact of temperature and aw on the growth of F. verticillioides and its production of FB1 using transcriptome data. The findings presented here have the potential to contribute to the development of novel strategies for managing fungal diseases and offer valuable insights for preventing fumonisin contamination in food and feed storage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ding
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Nini Ma
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Hafiz Abdul Haseeb
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China; Directorate General of Pest Warning and Quality Control of Pesticides, Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Zhaoji Dai
- Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), School of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, PR China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Wei Guo
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen Y, Cao Y, Jiao C, Sun X, Gai Y, Zhu Z, Li H. The Alternaria alternata StuA transcription factor interacting with the pH-responsive regulator PacC for the biosynthesis of host-selective toxin and virulence in citrus. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0233523. [PMID: 37812002 PMCID: PMC10715145 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02335-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE In this study, we used Alternaria alternata as a biological model to report the role of StuA in phytopathogenic fungi. Our findings indicated that StuA is required for Alternaria citri toxin (ACT) biosynthesis and fungal virulence. In addition, StuA physically interacts with PacC. Disruption of stuA or pacC led to decreased expression of seven toxin biosynthetic genes (ACCT) and toxin production. PacC could recognize and bind to the promoter regions of ACTT6 and ACTTR. Our results revealed a previously unrecognized (StuA-PacC)→ACTTR module for the biosynthesis of ACT in A. alternata, which also provides a framework for the study of StuA in other fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yingzi Cao
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chen Jiao
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuepeng Sun
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient and Green Production of Agriculture in Mountainous Areas of Zhejiang Province, College of Horticulture Science, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yunpeng Gai
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zengrong Zhu
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, China
| | - Hongye Li
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Ministry of Agriculture, The Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Du Y, Zhu J, Tian Z, Long C. PdStuA Is a Key Transcription Factor Controlling Sporulation, Hydrophobicity, and Stress Tolerance in Penicillium digitatum. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:941. [PMID: 37755049 PMCID: PMC10532665 DOI: 10.3390/jof9090941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Penicillium digitatum has become one of the main pathogens in citrus due to its high spore production and easy spread. In this study, the function of the APSES transcription factor StuA in P. digitatum was characterized, and the results indicated that it was involved in conidium and conidiophore development. No conidiophores were observed in the mycelium of the ∆PdStuA mutant that had grown for two days, while an abnormal conidiophore was found after another two days of incubation, and only small thin phialides as well as a very small number of spores were formed at the top of the hyphae. Moreover, it was observed that the ∆PdStuA mutant showed various defects, such as reduced hydrophobicity and decreased tolerance to cell wall inhibitors and H2O2. Compared to the original P. digitatum, the colony diameter of the ∆PdStuA mutant was not significantly affected, but the growth of aerial hyphae was obviously induced. In in vivo experiments, the spore production of the ∆PdStuA mutant grown on citrus fruit was remarkably decreased; however, there was no significant difference in the lesion diameter between the mutant and original strain. It could be inferred that less spore production might result in reduced spread in citrus, thereby reducing the green mold infection in citrus fruit during storage. This study provided a gene, PdStuA, which played key role in the sporulation of P. digitatum, and the results might provide a reference for the molecular mechanisms of sporulation in P. digitatum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Du
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jinfan Zhu
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Zhonghuan Tian
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
| | - Chaoan Long
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, National Centre of Citrus Breeding, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.D.); (J.Z.)
- Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ferrara M, Perrone G, Gallo A. Recent advances in biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms of principal mycotoxins. Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
5
|
Quintanilha-Peixoto G, Marone MP, Raya FT, José J, Oliveira A, Fonseca PLC, Tomé LMR, Bortolini DE, Kato RB, Araújo DS, De-Paula RB, Cuesta-Astroz Y, Duarte EAA, Badotti F, de Carvalho Azevedo VA, Brenig B, Soares ACF, Carazzolle MF, Pereira GAG, Aguiar ERGR, Góes-Neto A. Phylogenomics and gene selection in Aspergillus welwitschiae: Possible implications in the pathogenicity in Agave sisalana. Genomics 2022; 114:110517. [PMID: 36306958 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Aspergillus welwitschiae causes bole rot disease in sisal (Agave sisalana and related species) which affects the production of natural fibers in Brazil, the main worldwide producer of sisal fibers. This fungus is a saprotroph with a broad host range. Previous research established A. welwitschiae as the only causative agent of bole rot in the field, but little is known about the evolution of this species and its strains. In this work, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of 40 Aspergillus strains. We show the conflicting molecular identity of this species, with one sisal-infecting strain sharing its last common ancestor with Aspergillus niger, having diverged only 833 thousand years ago. Furthermore, our analysis of positive selection reveals sites under selection in genes coding for siderophore transporters, Sodium‑calcium exchangers, and Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs). Herein, we discuss the possible impacts of these gene functions on the pathogenicity in sisal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina Püpke Marone
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fábio Trigo Raya
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana José
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriele Oliveira
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Dener Eduardo Bortolini
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Bentes Kato
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Daniel S Araújo
- Program in Bioinformatics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Ruth B De-Paula
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Yesid Cuesta-Astroz
- Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Elizabeth A A Duarte
- Centro Universitário Maria Milza, Cruz das Almas, Brazil; Center of Agricultural, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Cruz das Almas, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Badotti
- Department of Chemistry, Federal Center of Technological Education of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Bertram Brenig
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ana Cristina Fermino Soares
- Center of Agricultural, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Cruz das Almas, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Falsarella Carazzolle
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Eric Roberto Guimarães Rocha Aguiar
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Center of Biotechnology and Genetics, Department of Biological Science, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - Aristóteles Góes-Neto
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Enhanced production of terrein in marine-derived Aspergillus terreus by refactoring both global and pathway-specific transcription factors. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:136. [PMID: 35794562 PMCID: PMC9258105 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01859-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Terrein, a major secondary metabolite from Aspergillus terreus, shows great potentials in biomedical and agricultural applications. However, the low fermentation yield of terrein in wild A. terreus strains limits its industrial applications. Results Here, we constructed a cell factory based on the marine-derived A. terreus RA2905, allowing for overproducing terrein by using starch as the sole carbon source. Firstly, the pathway-specific transcription factor TerR was over-expressed under the control of a constitutive gpdA promoter of A. nidulans, resulting in 5 to 16 folds up-regulation in terR transcripts compared to WT. As expected, the titer of terrein was improved in the two tested terR OE mutants when compared to WT. Secondly, the global regulator gene stuA, which was demonstrated to suppress the terrein synthesis in our analysis, was deleted, leading to greatly enhanced production of terrein. In addition, LS-MS/MS analysis showed that deletion of StuA cause decreased synthesis of the major byproduct butyrolactones. To achieve an optimal strain, we further refactored the genetic circuit by combining deletion of stuA and overexpression of terR, a higher terrein yield was achieved with a lower background of byproducts in double mutants. In addition, it was also found that loss of StuA (both ΔstuA and ΔstuA::OEterR) resulted in aconidial morphologies, but a slightly faster growth rate than that of WT. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that refactoring both global and pathway-specific transcription factors (StuA and TerR) provides a high-efficient strategy to enhance terrein production, which could be adopted for large-scale production of terrein or other secondary metabolites in marine-derived filamentous fungi. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-022-01859-5.
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhang S, Zhu P, Cao B, Ma S, Li R, Wang X, Zhao A. An APSES Transcription Factor Xbp1 Is Required for Sclerotial Development, Appressoria Formation, and Pathogenicity in Ciboria shiraiana. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:739686. [PMID: 34646256 PMCID: PMC8503677 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.739686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Sclerotinia diseases are important plant fungal diseases that, causes huge economic worldwide losses every year. Ciboria shiraiana is the main pathogen that results in mulberry sclerotia diseases. Sclerotia and appressoria play important roles in long-term pathogen survival and in host infection during life and disease cycles. However, the molecular mechanisms of sclerotial development and appressoria formation in C. shiraiana have not been well studied. Here, an Asm1p, Phd1p, Sok2p, Efg1p and StuAp (APSES)-type transcription factor in C. shiraiana, CsXbp1, involved in sclerotial development and appressoria formation was functionally characterized. Bioinformatics analyses showed that CsXbp1 contained an APSES-type DNA binding domain. The expression levels of CsXbp1 were higher in sclerotia and during later stages of infection. Compared with wild-type strains, hyphal growth was slower, the number and weight of sclerotia were reduced significantly, and appressoria formation was obviously delayed in CsXbp1 RNA interference (RNAi) strains. Moreover, the CsXbp1 RNAi strains showed weakened pathogenicity owing to compound appressoria defects. Tobacco rattle virus-mediated host-induced gene silencing enabled Nicotiana benthamiana to increase its resistance to C. shiraiana by reducing the CsXbp1 transcripts level. Thus, CsXbp1 plays vital roles in sclerotial formation, appressoria formation, and pathogenicity in C. shiraiana. This study provides new insights into the infection mechanisms of C. shiraiana and plant resistance breeding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Panpan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Boning Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, China
| | - Shuyu Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ruolan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xie Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sichuan, China
| | - Aichun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Li T, Su X, Qu H, Duan X, Jiang Y. Biosynthesis, regulation, and biological significance of fumonisins in fungi: current status and prospects. Crit Rev Microbiol 2021; 48:450-462. [PMID: 34550845 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2021.1979465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Fumonisins are one of the most important mycotoxin classes due to their widespread occurrence and potential health threat to humans and animals. Currently, most of the research focuses on the control of fumonisin contamination in the food supply chain. In recent years, significant progress in biochemistry, enzymology, and genetic regulation of fumonisin biosynthesis has been achieved using molecular technology. Furthermore, new insights into the roles of fumonisins in the interaction between fungi and plant hosts have been reported. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the biosynthesis and regulation of fumonisins. The ecological significance of fumonisins to Fusarium species that produce the toxins is discussed, and the complex regulatory networks of fumonisin synthesis is proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taotao Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinguo Su
- Tropical Agriculture and Forestry Department, Guangdong AIB Polytechnic College, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongxia Qu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuewu Duan
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yueming Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,College of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|