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Xu X, Chen Y, Li B, Tian S. Histone H3K4 Methyltransferase PeSet1 Regulates Colonization, Patulin Biosynthesis, and Stress Responses of Penicillium expansum. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0354522. [PMID: 36633412 PMCID: PMC9927251 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03545-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Fruit blue mold disease and patulin contamination caused by Penicillium expansum lead to huge economic losses and food safety concerns worldwide. Many genes have been proven to be involved in the regulation of pathogenic and toxigenic processes of P. expansum. Histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation is well recognized for its association with chromatin regulation and gene transcription. However, it is not clear whether H3K4 methylation is related to infection and patulin biosynthesis in Penicillium. Here, we characterized PeSet1, which is responsible for H3K4me1/me2/me3 in P. expansum. The deletion of PeSet1 caused severe defects in hyphal growth, conidiation, colonization, patulin biosynthesis, and stress responses. Moreover, we demonstrated that PeSet1 is involved in the regulation of patulin biosynthesis by mediating the expression of patulin cluster genes and crucial global regulatory factors. Likewise, PeSet1 positively regulated key genes in β-1,3-glucan biosynthesis and the reactive oxygen species scavenging process to modulate cell wall integrity and oxidative stress responses, respectively. Collectively, we have proven for the first time the function of Set1 in patulin biosynthesis and the crucial role of Set1 in colonization and stress responses in P. expansum. IMPORTANCE Penicillium expansum is one of the most important plant fungal pathogens, which not only causes blue mold rot in various fruits, leading to huge decay losses, but also produces mycotoxin patulin, posing a threat to human health. Both pathogenesis and patulin biosynthesis in P. expansum are regulated by complex and sophisticated networks. We focused on the epigenetic modification and identified a conserved histone H3K4 methyltransferase PeSet1 in P. expansum. Our work revealed the important role of PeSet1 in growth, development, colonization, patulin production, and stress responses of P. expansum. In particular, we originally described the regulation of Set1 on patulin biosynthetic pathway. These findings will provide new targets for the prevention and control of blue mold disease and patulin contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Boqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shiping Tian
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Tragni V, Cotugno P, De Grassi A, Cavalluzzi MM, Mincuzzi A, Lentini G, Sanzani SM, Ippolito A, Pierri CL. Targeting Penicillium expansum GMC Oxidoreductase with High Affinity Small Molecules for Reducing Patulin Production. Biology (Basel) 2020; 10:biology10010021. [PMID: 33396459 PMCID: PMC7824139 DOI: 10.3390/biology10010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary With the urgent necessity of potential treatments for limiting mycotoxin production and postharvest fungal rots, we propose a combined in silico/in vitro/in vivo strategy for the rapid and effective identification of bioactive small molecules, chosen among a chemical library hosting approved drugs and phytochemicals, to be used after harvest. The molecular target of our analysis was the GMC oxidoreductase from Penicillium expansum involved in the biosynthesis of patulin, a mycotoxin that can contaminate many foods, especially fruits and fruit-based products. The employed in silico/in vitro/in vivo assays described in our study proved the effectiveness of our strategy and in particular of two small molecules, 6-hydroxycoumarin (structurally related to umbelliferon, an already characterized patulin synthase inhibitor) and meticrane (an already approved drug) in reducing patulin accumulation. Our findings highly recommend the mentioned ligands to be subjected to further analysis for being used in the next future in place of other more toxic compounds, in postharvest treatments based on dipping or drenching methods. Abstract Flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) dependent glucose methanol choline oxidoreductase (GMC oxidoreductase) is the terminal key enzyme of the patulin biosynthetic pathway. GMC oxidoreductase catalyzes the oxidative ring closure of (E)-ascladiol to patulin. Currently, no protein involved in the patulin biosynthesis in Penicillium expansum has been experimentally characterized or solved by X-ray diffraction. Consequently, nothing is known about P. expansum GMC oxidoreductase substrate-binding site and mode of action. In the present investigation, a 3D comparative model for P. expansum GMC oxidoreductase has been described. Furthermore, a multistep computational approach was used to identify P. expansum GMC oxidoreductase residues involved in the FAD binding and in substrate recognition. Notably, the obtained 3D comparative model of P. expansum GMC oxidoreductase was used for performing a virtual screening of a chemical/drug library, which allowed to predict new GMC oxidoreductase high affinity ligands to be tested in in vitro/in vivo assays. In vitro assays performed in presence of 6-hydroxycoumarin and meticrane, among the highly affinity predicted binders, confirmed a dose-dependent inhibition (17–81%) of patulin production by 6-hydroxycoumarin (10 µM–1 mM concentration range), whereas the approved drug meticrane inhibited patulin production by 43% already at 10 µM. Furthermore, 6-hydroxycoumarin and meticrane caused a 60 and 41% reduction of patulin production, respectively, in vivo on apples at 100 µg/wound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Tragni
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy; (V.T.); (A.M.)
| | - Pietro Cotugno
- Biology Department, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Anna De Grassi
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy;
- BROWSer S.r.l., c/o Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, Biopharmaceutics, University “Aldo Moro” of Bari, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Maddalena Cavalluzzi
- Dipartimento di Farmacia—Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (M.M.C.); (G.L.)
| | - Annamaria Mincuzzi
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy; (V.T.); (A.M.)
| | - Giovanni Lentini
- Dipartimento di Farmacia—Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (M.M.C.); (G.L.)
| | - Simona Marianna Sanzani
- CIHEAM Bari, Via Ceglie 9, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy
- Correspondence: (S.M.S.); (A.I.); ; (C.L.P.); Tel.: +39-0805443614 (C.L.P.); Fax: +39-0805442770 (C.L.P.)
| | - Antonio Ippolito
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy; (V.T.); (A.M.)
- Correspondence: (S.M.S.); (A.I.); ; (C.L.P.); Tel.: +39-0805443614 (C.L.P.); Fax: +39-0805442770 (C.L.P.)
| | - Ciro Leonardo Pierri
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy;
- BROWSer S.r.l., c/o Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, Biopharmaceutics, University “Aldo Moro” of Bari, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.M.S.); (A.I.); ; (C.L.P.); Tel.: +39-0805443614 (C.L.P.); Fax: +39-0805442770 (C.L.P.)
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