Effects of Azole Fungicides on Secreted Metabolomes of Botrytis cinerea

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea, gray mold, is one of the most notorious phytopathgens, causing serious economic loss in the agricultural industry. The phytotoxic effects are mainly derived from secreted virulence proteins and terpenoid-type secondary metabolites. Azole fungicides are commonly used to manage the disease. However, their biochemical effects other than sterol biosynthesis were not documented, especially toxic secreted metabolites. In this study, six azole fungicides were treated with in vitro and in vivo conditions. Comprehensive profiles of primary and secondary metabolites in culture media were evaluated to assess the fungal metabolomes under pesticide-stressed conditions. The results indicated that extensive metabolic differentiation was induced by azole fungicides. Epoxiconazole clearly reduced the extracellular phytotoxin concentrations, while the level of indole-3-acetic acid was increased. In addition, significant differentiation of primary metabolism could be deduced from secreted metabolite profiles, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle and aromatic amino acid catabolism. Cellular lipid profiles, including fatty acids and sterol, have been altered drastically by azoles, which indicate extensive changes of cellular lipid metabolism. These system-wide metabolic alterations resulted in reduced plant damages, proven by the in vivo assay with tomato. Overall, azole fungicides induced significant changes of endo-and exometabolomes and could reduce the fungal infection. The experimental results will provide a more detailed understanding of physiological changes of phytopathogens under pesticide treatment and information for new pesticide development.

Tavaborole-Induced Inhibition of the Aminoacyl-tRNA Biosynthesis Pathway against Botrytis cinerea Contributes to Disease Control and Fruit Quality Preservation

“…Plant pathogens such as fungi, nematodes, bacteria, and viruses cause massive crop losses or damage worldwide. − Among these diseases, pathogenic fungi cause significant postharvest loss in fruits and vegetables, making it a pressing public concern and a research priority. − Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea), a necrotrophic fungus, causes enormous economic losses during crop maturity and harvest. − B. cinerea has a diverse host range (over 200 crop hosts), including some important economic crops. − This pathogen is extremely dangerous during the crop season and during the postharvest preservation of vegetables and fruits. − To this day, synthetic chemical fungicides remain the primary method for disease control, despite the fact that repeated use of fungicides leads to the rapid development of fungicide resistance. , In response to these issues, many researchers are looking for new, nontoxic antifungal compounds with high potential that can replace existing fungicides in the field. , As a result, the search for effective and environmentally friendly fungicides has become critical.…”

Hexaconazole Application Saves the Loss of Grey Mold Disease but Hinders Tomato Fruit Ripening in Healthy Plants

“…HEZ is a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide (sterol demethylation inhibitor) 3 that inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP51) activity, the enzyme that catalyzes the oxidative transformation of lanosterol to ergosterol. 4 Triazole fungicides modulate the different CYP types; therefore, a lot of research has reported the disruptive effect of triazole fungicide on the secretion of plant hormones. For example, metconazole treatment disrupted the balance between gibberellin (GA) and jasmonic acid (JA) in wheat seeds which decreased the germination rate of these seeds and the growth of the subsequent seedlings.…”

“…In China, hexaconazole (HEZ) is one of the pesticides approved for preventing and controlling gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in tomatoes. HEZ is a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide (sterol demethylation inhibitor) that inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP51) activity, the enzyme that catalyzes the oxidative transformation of lanosterol to ergosterol . Triazole fungicides modulate the different CYP types; therefore, a lot of research has reported the disruptive effect of triazole fungicide on the secretion of plant hormones.…”

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Dipeptide-Based Stilbene Derivatives Bearing a Biheterocyclic Moiety as Potential Fungicides

“…Especially, Botrytis cinerea is among the top-ten phytopathogenic fungi given scientific or economic importance, as its causes damage during plant cultivation as well as after harvest [2][3][4]. B. cinerea, known as gray mold, is intractable because of its broad host range of more than 220 eudicot plants and manifold attack strategies that include cell wall-degrading enzymes, phytotoxins, and detoxification proteins [5,6]. Several characteristics of chemical fungicides, consisting of low cost, high efficiency, rapid action, and long efficacy duration, remain the mainstay of fungal disease control.…”