Characterization of the Gene Encoding Pisatin Demethylase (FoPDA1) in Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

The pea pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi is able to detoxify pisatin produced as a defense response by pea, and the gene encoding this detoxification mechanism, FoPDA1, was 82% identical to the cytochrome P450 pisatin demethylase PDA1 gene in Nectria haematococca. A survey of F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi isolates demonstrated that, as in N. haematococca, the PDA gene of F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi is generally located on a small chromosome. In N. haematococca, PDA1 is in a cluster of pea pathogenicity (PEP) genes. Homologs of these PEP genes also were found in the F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi isolates, and PEP1 and PEP5 were sometimes located on the same small chromosomes as the FoPDA1 homologs. Transforming FoPDA1 into a pda(?) F. oxysporum f. sp. lini isolate conferred pda activity and promoted pathogenicity on pea to some transformants. Different hybridization patterns of FoPDA1 were found in F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi but these did not correlate with the races of the fungus, suggesting that races within this forma specialis arose independently of FoPDA1. FoPDA1 also was present in the formae speciales lini, glycines, and dianthi of F. oxysporum but they had mutations resulting in nonfunctional proteins. However, an active FoPDA1 was present in F. oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli and it was virulent on pea. Despite their evolutionary distance, the amino acid sequences of FoPDA1 of F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi and F. oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli revealed only six amino acid differences, consistent with a horizontal gene transfer event accounting for the origin of these genes.

Functional characterization of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in the cereal head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum

“…Pisatin demethylase ( PDA , CYP57A1) of Nectria haematococca is a well‐known P450 enzyme that degrades pisatin, a fungistatic isoflavonoid pterocarpan produced by host plants (George et al ., ). Introduction of the PDA ( FgPDA1 ) ortholog into a PDA ‐deficient F. oxysporum strain was shown to promote pathogenicity in pea (Coleman et al ., ); however, orthologs of PDA are unclear in F. graminearum . Five P450 mutants ( Fg03700 , Fg02111 , Fg00012 , Fg10451 and Fg12737 ) were revealed to be specifically defective in virulence (Supporting Information Table S1 and Fig.…”

Host extract modulates metabolism and fumonisin biosynthesis by the plant-pathogenic fungus Fusarium proliferatum

“…It has been shown that typical pea pathogen-F. oxysporum f.sp. pisi produces an enzyme called pisatin demethylase encoded by PDA1 gene (Coleman et al, 2011), allowing the fungus to detoxify pisatin in the course of infection. The gene homologues have been found already in pea-derived strains of F. avenaceum and F. verticillioides (authors' studies, unpublished).…”

Genetic map‐guided genome assembly reveals a virulence‐governing minichromosome in the lentil anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum lentis

“…9b). Pisatin demethylase encoded by PDA1 detoxifies the phytoalexin pisatin produced as a defense response by pea (Coleman et al, 2011). PDA1 is located outside of QTL qClVIR-11, whereas Pep1 is inside the QTL region.…”