FcRav2, a gene with a ROGDI domain involved in Fusarium head blight and crown rot on durum wheat caused by Fusarium culmorum

Abstract

Fusarium culmorum is a soil-borne fungal pathogen which causes foot and root rot and Fusarium head blight on small-grain cereals, in particular wheat and barley. It causes significant yield and quality losses and results in the contamination of kernels with type B trichothecene mycotoxins. Our knowledge of the pathogenicity factors of this fungus is still limited. A transposon tagging approach based on the mimp1/impala double-component system has allowed us to select a mutant altered in multiple metabolic and morphological processes, trichothecene production and virulence. The flanking regions of mimp1 were used to seek homologies in the F. culmorum genome, and revealed that mimp1 had reinserted within the last exon of a gene encoding a hypothetical protein of 318 amino acids which contains a ROGDI-like leucine zipper domain, supposedly playing a protein-protein interaction or regulatory role. By functional complementation and bioinformatic analysis, we characterized the gene as the yeast Rav2 homologue, confirming the high level of divergence in multicellular fungi. Deletion of FcRav2 or its orthologous gene in F. graminearum highlighted its ability to influence a number of functions, including virulence, trichothecene type B biosynthesis, resistance to azoles and resistance to osmotic and oxidative stress. Our results indicate that the FcRav2 protein (and possibly the RAVE complex as a whole) may become a suitable target for new antifungal drug development or the plant-mediated resistance response in filamentous fungi of agricultural interest.

Molecular Docking and Comparative Inhibitory Efficacy of Naturally Occurring Compounds on Vegetative Growth and Deoxynivalenol Biosynthesis in Fusarium culmorum

“…Compounds 1-15 belong to cinnamic acids (1-3 and 15), gallic esters (4 and 5), monoterpenoids (6-9), phenylpropanoids (11)(12)(13)(14) and phenylethanones (10). Except for 8 and 9, all compounds share a common phenol ring with a functional group in the para position (i.e., compounds 1-5 and 10-15) or in the ortho position (i.e., compounds 6 and 7) to the hydroxyl group.…”

“…A set of naturally occurring compounds belonging to cinnamic acids (compounds 1-3 and 15), gallic esters (4 and 5), terpenes (6-9), phenylpropanoids (11)(12)(13)(14) and one phenylethanone (10) were selected (Figure 1). Moreover, compound NPD352 (testosterone 3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime amide-bonded to phenylalanine methyl ester), a trichodiene inhibitor identified by chemical array and library screening using a recombinant TRI5 expressed in Escherichia coli [52], was included in the docking analysis.…”

“…Trichothecenes are chemically defined as sesquiterpene epoxides, able to cause toxicoses in humans or non-human animals that consume contaminated food or feed [9,10]. These compounds may inhibit eukaryotic protein synthesis [11], induce apoptosis [12,13] and may play a key role as virulence factors [14,15].…”

Selection of an Endophytic Streptomyces sp. Strain DEF09 From Wheat Roots as a Biocontrol Agent Against Fusarium graminearum

“…It also confirms functional analyses of genes from wheat-infecting Fusarium species. Different genes were reported to be equally involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of both FHB and FFR (Spanu et al, 2012, 2018; Pasquali et al, 2013). From a physiopathological point of view, F. graminearum shows a common infection process during both root- and head infection (Wang Q. et al, 2015; Wang et al, 2018).…”

In silico Prediction, Characterization, Molecular Docking, and Dynamic Studies on Fungal SDRs as Novel Targets for Searching Potential Fungicides Against Fusarium Wilt in Tomato

“…Recently, a hypothetical protein (FcRav2) with ROGDI such as leucine zipper domain, and homologous to yeast Rav2 was reported in F. culmorum . It was demonstrated that FcRav2 protein may become a suitable target for new antifungal drug development or the plant–mediated resistance response in filamentous fungi of agricultural interest ( Spanu et al, 2018 ).…”