scholarly journals Low pH regulates the production of deoxynivalenol by Fusarium graminearum

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (9) ◽  
pp. 3149-3156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald M. Gardiner ◽  
Sheree Osborne ◽  
Kemal Kazan ◽  
John M. Manners

Fusarium graminearum, which causes the globally important head blight disease of wheat, is responsible for the production of the harmful mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in infected grain. The production of DON by F. graminearum occurs at much higher levels during infection than during axenic growth, and it is therefore important to understand how DON production is regulated in the fungus. Recently, we have identified amines as potent inducers of in vitro DON production in F. graminearum. Although amines strongly induced expression of the key DON biosynthesis gene TRI5 and DON production to levels equivalent to those observed during infection, the timing of this induction suggested that other factors are also likely to be important for the regulation of DON biosynthesis. Here we demonstrate that low extracellular pH both promotes and is required for DON production in F. graminearum. A combination of low pH and amines results in significantly enhanced expression of the TRI5 gene and increased DON production during axenic growth. A better understanding of DON production in F. graminearum would have implications in developing future toxin management strategies.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-246
Author(s):  
W.Q. Shi ◽  
L.B. Xiang ◽  
D.Z. Yu ◽  
S.J. Gong ◽  
L.J. Yang

Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease that leads to extensive yield and quality loss in wheat and barley production. Integrated pest management (IPM) is required to control this disease and biofungicides, such as tetramycin, could be a novel addition to IPM strategies. The current study investigated in vitro tetramycin toxicity in Fusarium graminearum and evaluated its effectiveness for the control of Fusarium head blight FHB. Tetramycin was shown to affect three key aspects of Fusarium pathogenicity: spore germination, mycelium growth and deoxynivalenol (DON) production. The in vitro results indicated that tetramycin had strong inhibitory activity on the mycelial growth and spore germination. Field trials indicated that tetramycin treatment resulted in a significant reduction in both the FHB disease index and the level of DON accumulation. The reduced DON content in harvested grain was correlated with the amount of Tri5 mRNA determined by qRT-PCR. Synergistic effects between tetramycin and metconazole, in both the in vitro and field experiments were found. Tetramycin could provide an alternative option to control FHB.


Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao-Sheng Li ◽  
Luo-Yu Wu ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Xiu-Shi Song ◽  
Jian-Xin Wang ◽  
...  

Phenamacril is a cyanoacrylate fungicide that provides excellent control of Fusarium head blight (FHB) or wheat scab, which is caused predominantly by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium asiaticum. Previous studies revealed that codon mutations of the myosin-5 gene of Fusarium spp. conferred resistance to phenamacril in vitro lab experiments. In this study, PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) was developed to detect three common mutations (A135T, GCC to ACC at codon 135; S217L, TCA to TTA at codon 217, and E420K, GAA to AAA at codon 420) in F. graminearum induced by fungicide domestication in vitro. PCR products of 841 bp (for mutation of A135T), 802 bp (for mutation of S217L) or 1649 bp (for mutation of E420K) in myosin-5 gene were amplified respectively by appropriate primer pairs. Restriction enzyme KpnⅠ, TasⅠ or DraⅠ was used to distinguish phenamacril-sensitive and -resistant strains with mutation genotypes of A135T, S217L and E420K, respectively. KpnⅠ digested the 841 bp PCR products of phenamacri-resistant strains with codon mutation A135T into two fragments of 256 bp and 585 bp. In contrast, KpnⅠ did not digest the PCR products of sensitive strains. TasⅠ digested the 802 bp PCR products of phenamacril-strains with codon mutation S217L into three fragments of 461 bp, 287bp and 54 bp. In contrast, TasⅠ digestion of the 802 bp PCR products of phenamacril-sensitive strains resulted in only two fragments of 515bp and 287bp. DraⅠ digested the 1649 bp PCR products of phenamacril-resistant strains with codon mutation E420K into two fragments of 932 bp and 717 bp, while the PCR products of phenamacril-sensitive strains was not digested. The three genotypes of resistance mutations were determined by analyzing electrophoresis patterns of the digestion fragments of PCR products. The PCR-RFLP method was evaluated on 48 phenamacril-resistant strains induced by fungicide domestication in vitro and compared with the conventional method (mycelial growth on fungicide-amended agar). The accuracy of the PCR-RFLP method for detecting the three resistant mutation genotypes of F. graminearum to phenamacril was 95.12% compared with conventional method. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the PCR-RFLP method could also be used to detect the codon mutations of A135T and E420K in F. asiaticum.


Plant Disease ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Mueller ◽  
Carol Groves ◽  
Damon L. Smith

Fusarium graminearum commonly causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) on wheat, barley, rice, and oats. Fusarium graminearum produces nivalenol and deoxynivalenol (DON) and forms derivatives of DON based on its acetylation sites. The fungus is profiled into chemotypes based on DON derivative chemotypes (3 acetyldeoxynivalenol (3ADON) chemotype; 15 acetyldeoxynivalenol (15ADON) chemotype) and/or the nivalenol (NIV) chemotype. The current study assessed the Fusarium population found on wheat and the chemotype profile of the isolates collected from 2016 and 2017 in Wisconsin. Fusarium graminearum was isolated from all locations sampled in both 2016 and 2017. Fusarium culmorum was isolated only from Door County in 2016. Over both growing seasons, 91% of isolates were identified as the 15ADON chemotype while 9% of isolates were identified as the 3ADON chemotype. Aggressiveness was quantified by area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). The isolates with the highest AUDPC values were from the highest wheat producing cropping districts in the state. Deoxynivalenol production in grain and sporulation and growth rate in vitro were compared to aggressiveness in the greenhouse. Our results showed that 3ADON isolates in Wisconsin were among the highest in sporulation capacity, growth rate, and DON production in grain. However, there were no significant differences in aggressiveness between the 3ADON and 15ADON isolates. The results of this research detail the baseline frequency and distribution of 3ADON and 15ADON chemotypes observed in Wisconsin. Chemotype distributions within populations of F. graminearum in Wisconsin should continue to be monitored in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Jian ◽  
Xu Liang

The pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) or scab, is one of the most important cereal killers worldwide, exerting great economic and agronomic losses on global grain production. To repress pathogen invasion, plants have evolved a sophisticated innate immunity system for pathogen recognition and defense activation. Simultaneously, pathogens continue to evolve more effective means of invasion to conquer plant resistance systems. In the process of co-evolution of plants and pathogens, several small RNAs (sRNAs) have been proved in regulating plant immune response and plant-microbial interaction. In this study, we report that a F. graminearum sRNA (Fg-sRNA1) can suppress wheat defense response by targeting and silencing a resistance-related gene, which codes a Chitin Elicitor Binding Protein (TaCEBiP). Transcriptional level evidence indicates that Fg-sRNA1 can target TaCEBiP mRNA and trigger silencing of TaCEBiP in vivo, and in Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) plants, Western blotting experiments and YFP Fluorescence observation proofs show that Fg-sRNA1 can suppress the accumulation of protein coding by TaCEBiP gene in vitro. F. graminearum PH-1 strain displays a weakening ability to invasion when Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) vector induces effective silencing Fg-sRNA1 in PH-1 infected wheat plants. Taken together, our results suggest that a small RNA from F. graminearum can target and silence the wheat TaCEBiP gene to enhance invasion of F. graminearum.


2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (21) ◽  
pp. 6513-6520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi R. Burlakoti ◽  
Shaukat Ali ◽  
Gary A. Secor ◽  
Stephen M. Neate ◽  
Marcia P. McMullen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Gibberella zeae is one of the most devastating pathogens of barley and wheat in the United States. The fungus also infects noncereal crops, such as potatoes and sugar beets, and the genetic relationships among barley, wheat, potato, and sugar beet isolates indicate high levels of similarity. However, little is known about the toxigenic potential of G. zeae isolates from potatoes and sugar beets. A total of 336 isolates of G. zeae from barley, wheat, potatoes, and sugar beets were collected and analyzed by TRI (trichothecene biosynthesis gene)-based PCR assays. To verify the TRI-based PCR detection of genetic markers by chemical analysis, 45 representative isolates were grown in rice cultures for 28 days and 15 trichothecenes and 2 zearalenone (ZEA) analogs were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. TRI-based PCR assays revealed that all isolates had the deoxynivalenol (DON) marker. The frequencies of isolates with the 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) marker were higher than those of isolates with the 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON) marker among isolates from all four crops. Fusarium head blight (FHB)-resistant wheat cultivars had little or no influence on the diversity of isolates associated with the 3-ADON and 15-ADON markers. However, the frequency of isolates with the 3-ADON marker among isolates from the Langdon, ND, sampling site was higher than those among isolates from the Carrington and Minot, ND, sites. In chemical analyses, DON, 3-ADON, 15-ADON, b-ZEA, and ZEA were detected. All isolates produced DON (1 to 782 μg/g) and ZEA (1 to 623 μg/g). These findings may be useful for monitoring mycotoxin contamination and for formulating FHB management strategies for these crops.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 560
Author(s):  
Elena Maria Colombo ◽  
Andrea Kunova ◽  
Claudio Gardana ◽  
Cristina Pizzatti ◽  
Paolo Simonetti ◽  
...  

Streptomyces spp. can be exploited as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against plant pathogens such as Fusarium graminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and against the contamination of grains with deoxynivalenol (DON). In the present research, four Streptomyces strains active against F. graminearum in dual plate assays were characterized for their ability to colonize detached wheat grains in the presence of F. graminearum and to limit DON production. The pathogen and BCA abundance were assessed by a quantitative real-time PCR, while DON production was assessed by HPLC quantification and compared to ergosterol to correlate the toxin production to the amount of fungal mycelium. Fungal growth and mycotoxin production were assessed with both co-inoculation and late inoculation of the BCAs in vitro (three days post-Fusarium inoculation) to test the interaction between the fungus and the bacteria. The level of inhibition of the pathogen and the toxin production were strain-specific. Overall, a higher level of DON inhibition (up to 99%) and a strong reduction in fungal biomass (up to 71%) were achieved when streptomycetes were co-inoculated with the fungus. This research enabled studying the antifungal efficacy of the four Streptomyces strains and monitoring their development in DON-inducing conditions.


Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (8) ◽  
pp. 2138-2143
Author(s):  
Fei Dong ◽  
Xiao Zhang ◽  
Jian Hong Xu ◽  
Jian Rong Shi ◽  
Yin-Won Lee ◽  
...  

Members of Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) are the major pathogens that cause Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals worldwide. Symptoms of FHB on rice, including dark staining or browning of rice glumes, were recently observed in Jiangsu Province, China. To improve our understanding of the pathogens involved, 201 FGSC isolates were obtained from freshly harvested rice samples and identified by phylogenetic analyses. Among the 201 FGSC isolates, 196 were F. asiaticum and the remaining 5 were F. graminearum. Trichothecene chemotype and chemical analyses showed that 68.4% of the F. asiaticum isolates were the 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3ADON) chemotype and the remainder were the nivalenol (NIV) chemotype. All of the F. graminearum isolates were the 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol chemotype. Pathogenicity assays showed that both the 3ADON and NIV chemotypes of F. asiaticum could infect wheat and rice spikes. FHB severity and trichothecene toxin analysis revealed that F. asiaticum with the NIV chemotype was less aggressive than that with the 3ADON chemotype in wheat, while the NIV-producing strains were more virulent than the 3ADON-producing strains in rice. F. asiaticum isolates with different chemotypes did not show significant differences in mycelial growth, sporulation, conidial dimensions, or perithecial production. These findings would provide useful information for developing management strategies for the control of FHB in China.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxiang Zhao ◽  
Mengyu Chi ◽  
Huilin Sun ◽  
Hengwei Qian ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
...  

Fusarium graminearum is one of the most important causal agent of Fusarium Head Blight disease and now were controlled mainly by chemicals such as DMI fungicides. FgCYP51B is one of the DMI targets in F. graminearum and Tyrosine123 is an important amino acid in Fusarium graminearum CYP51B, located in one of the predicted substrate binding pockets based on the binding mode between demethylation inhibitors (DMIs) and CYP51B. Previous study suggests that resistance to DMI fungicides is primarily attributed to point mutations in the CYP51 gene and that the Y123H mutation in F. verticillioides CYP51 confers prochloraz resistance in the laboratory. To investigate the function of FgCYP51B Y123 residue in the growth and development, pathogenicity, and DMI-resistance, the FgCYP51B Y123H mutant was generated and analyzed. Results revealed that Y123H mutation led to reduced conidial sporulation and affected ascospore development and moreover, the mutation conferred reduced sensitivity to prochloraz. The qPCR and molecular docking were performed to investigate the resistance mechanism. Results indicated that Y123H mutation changed the target gene expression and decreased the binding affinity of FgCYP51 to prochloraz. These results will attract more attention to the potential DMI-resistant mutation of F. graminearum and further deepen our understanding of the DMI resistance mechanism.


Plant Disease ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott L. Walker ◽  
Steven Leath ◽  
Winston M. Hagler ◽  
J. Paul Murphy

Fusarium head blight (FHB) can reduce yield of wheat and decrease the value of harvested grain by accumulation of detrimental toxins. Understanding the variability of the fungal population associated with infection could improve disease control strategies. Sixty-six isolates of Fusarium graminearum associated with FHB were collected in North Carolina and tested for in vitro growth rate, in vitro production of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone, and pathogenicity on three cultivars of soft red winter wheat. Significant differences among isolates were found for all three traits. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed high levels of genotypic diversity among isolates. Isolates of F. graminearum, F. culmorum, and F. avenaceum acquired from the Pennsylvania State University Fusarium Center were included for comparison in all tests. In vivo levels of DON were measured for the five isolates associated with the highest levels of disease and the five isolates associated with the lowest levels of disease, and no significant differences were found. However, all ten isolates produced detectable levels of DON in vivo. Mean disease ratings ranged from 3.4 to 96.4%, in vitro (DON) levels ranged from 0 to 7176.2 ppm, and zearalenone ranged from 0 to 354.7 ppm, among isolates. A multiple regression model using in vitro growth, in vitro DON, and zearalenone production, collection location, wheat cultivar of isolate origin, plot, tillage conditions, and previous crop as independent variables and percent blighted tissue as the dependent variable was developed. The cumulative R2 value for the model equaled 0.27 with in vitro rate of growth making the largest contribution. Analysis of phenotype and genotype among isolates demonstrated diversity in a single plot, in a single location, and in North Carolina. Genotypic and phenotypic diversity were significant under both conventional and reduced tillage conditions, and diversity was high regardless of whether the previous crop had been a host or non-host for F. graminearum. These data indicate a variable pathogen population of F. graminearum exists in North Carolina, and members of this population can be both highly pathogenic on wheat and produce high levels of detrimental toxins, indicating a potential threat for problems with FHB within the state.


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