VdPKS1 is required for melanin formation and virulence in a cotton wilt pathogen Verticillium dahliae

Zhang, Ting; Zhang, Bosen; Hua, Chenlei; Meng, Pei; Wang, Sheng; Chen, Zhirong; Du, Yong‐Zhong; Gao, Feng; Huang, Jiafeng

doi:10.1007/s11427-017-9075-3

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…dahliae in hosts such as tobacco, tomato and lettuce (Wang et al ., ; Sarmiento‐Villamil et al ., ; Sarmiento‐Villamil et al ., ), but another study demonstrated that deletion of V . dahliae VdPKS1, a key factor for melanin production, resulted in reduced virulence on cotton (Zhang et al ., ). Undoubtedly, gene deletion studies of various MAPK cascade components suggest a strong correlation between melanin biosynthesis and virulence in V .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Vd8 strain cultured on MM was set as a control. Transcriptome profile analysis was done as described previously (Zhang et al ., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…dahliae polyketide synthase VdPKS1, which is required for melanin production, reduced the virulence of V . dahliae on cotton (Zhang et al ., ). In contrast, analyses of two deletion mutants of either VdPKS1 or VdCmr1 within the melanin biosynthetic gene cluster in V .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Taken together, this suggests a complex interplay between signalling mechanisms controlling melanin production and virulence in V . dahliae , and that slight reductions in virulence‐associated with those strains lacking melanin production (Zhang et al ., ) may be associated with reduced ability to survive in harsh environmental conditions (Wang et al ., ; Fang et al ., ), such as those presented during plant colonization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Verticillium dahliae Sho1‐MAPK pathway regulates melanin biosynthesis and is required for cotton infection

Zhou

Yin

et al. 2019

Environmental Microbiology

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Summary Verticillium dahliae is a soil‐borne fungus that causes vascular wilt on numerous plants worldwide. The fungus survives in the soil for up to 14 years by producing melanized microsclerotia. The protective function of melanin in abiotic stresses is well documented. Here, we found that the V. dahliae tetraspan transmembrane protein VdSho1, a homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sho1, acts as an osmosensor, and is required for plant penetration and melanin biosynthesis. The deletion mutant ΔSho1 was incubated on a cellophane membrane substrate that mimics the plant epidermis, revealing that the penetration of ΔSho1 strain was reduced compared to the wild‐type strain. Furthermore, VdSho1 regulates melanin biosynthesis by a signalling mechanism requiring a kinase‐kinase signalling module of Vst50‐Vst11‐Vst7. Strains, ΔVst50, ΔVst7 and ΔVst11 also displayed defective penetration and melanin production like the ΔSho1 strain. Defects in penetration and melanin production in ΔSho1 were restored by overexpression of Vst50, suggesting that Vst50 lies downstream of VdSho1 in the regulatory pathway governing penetration and melanin biosynthesis. Data analyses revealed that the transmembrane portion of VdSho1 was essential for both membrane penetration and melanin production. This study demonstrates that Vst50‐Vst11‐Vst7 module regulates VdSho1‐mediated plant penetration and melanin production in V. dahliae, contributing to virulence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The Vd8 strain cultured on MM was set as a control. Transcriptome profile analysis was done as described previously (Zhang et al ., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Verticillium dahliae Sho1‐MAPK pathway regulates melanin biosynthesis and is required for cotton infection

Zhou

Yin

et al. 2019

Environmental Microbiology

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“…Further, albino mutants have been shown to have less fitness in the field, presumably due to the loss of melanin (23). In addition to protecting fungi from UV radiation, fungal melanins are potent virulence factors in both human-pathogenic (e.g., Cryptococcus neoformans [24], Fonsecaea pedrosoi [25], and A. fumigatus [26]) and plant-pathogenic (e.g., Venturia inaequalis [27] and Verticillium dahliae [28]) fungi.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of Spore Secondary Metabolites to UV-C Protection and Virulence Vary in Different Aspergillus fumigatus Strains

Blachowicz

Raffa

Bok

et al. 2020

mBio

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Fungi are versatile organisms which thrive in hostile environments, including the International Space Station (ISS). Several isolates of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus have been found contaminating the ISS, an environment with increased exposure to UV radiation. Secondary metabolites (SMs) in spores, such as melanins, have been shown to protect spores from UV radiation in other fungi. To test the hypothesis that melanin and other known spore SMs provide UV protection to A. fumigatus isolates, we subjected SM spore mutants to UV-C radiation. We found that 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin mutants of two clinical A. fumigatus strains (Af293 and CEA17) but not an ISS-isolated strain (IF1SW-F4) were more sensitive to UV-C than their respective wild-type (WT) strains. Because DHN-melanin has been shown to shield A. fumigatus from the host immune system, we examined all DHN mutants for virulence in the zebrafish model of invasive aspergillosis. Following recent studies highlighting the pathogenic variability of different A. fumigatus isolates, we found DHN-melanin to be a virulence factor in CEA17 and IF1SW-F4 but not Af293. Three additional spore metabolites were examined in Af293, where fumiquinazoline also showed UV-C-protective properties, but two other spore metabolites, monomethylsulochrin and fumigaclavine, provided no UV-C-protective properties. Virulence tests of these three SM spore mutants indicated a slight increase in virulence of the monomethylsulochrin deletion strain. Taken together, this work suggests differential roles of specific spore metabolites across Aspergillus isolates and by types of environmental stress. IMPORTANCE Fungal spores contain secondary metabolites that can protect them from a multitude of abiotic and biotic stresses. Conidia (asexual spores) of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus synthesize several metabolites, including melanin, which has been reported to be important for virulence in this species and to be protective against UV radiation in other fungi. Here, we investigate the role of melanin in diverse isolates of A. fumigatus and find variability in its ability to protect spores from UV-C radiation or impact virulence in a zebrafish model of invasive aspergillosis in two clinical strains and one ISS strain. Further, we assess the role of other spore metabolites in a clinical strain of A. fumigatus and identify fumiquinazoline as an additional UV-C-protective molecule but not a virulence determinant. The results show differential roles of secondary metabolites in spore protection dependent on the environmental stress and strain of A. fumigatus. As protection from elevated levels of radiation is of paramount importance for future human outer space explorations, the discovery of small molecules with radiation-protective potential may result in developing novel safety measures for astronauts.

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Production of melanin pigments in saprophytic fungi in vitro and during infection

et al. 2019

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Melanins are one of the great natural pigments produced by a wide variety of fungal species that promote fitness and cell survival in diverse hostile environments, including during mammalian infection. In this study, we sought to demonstrate the production of melanin in the conidia and hyphae of saprophytic fungi, including dematiaceous and hyaline fungi. We showed that a melanin‐specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) avidly labeled the cell walls of hyphae and conidia, consistent with the presence of melanin in these structures, in 14 diverse fungal species. The conidia of saprophytic fungi were treated with proteolytic enzymes, denaturant, and concentrated hot acid to yield dark particles, which were shown to be stable free radicals, consistent with their identification as melanins. Samples obtained from patients with fungal keratitis due to Fusarium falciforme, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Curvularia lunata, Exserohilum rostratum, or Fonsecaea pedrosoi were found to be intensely labeled by the melanin‐specific MAb at the fungal hyphal cell walls. These results support the hypothesis that melanin is a common component that promotes survival under harsh conditions and facilitates fungal virulence. Increased understanding of the processes of melanization and the development of methods to interfere with pigment formation may lead to novel approaches to combat these complex pathogens that are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality.

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VdPKS1 is required for melanin formation and virulence in a cotton wilt pathogen Verticillium dahliae

Cited by 34 publications

References 44 publications

The Verticillium dahliae Sho1‐MAPK pathway regulates melanin biosynthesis and is required for cotton infection

The Verticillium dahliae Sho1‐MAPK pathway regulates melanin biosynthesis and is required for cotton infection

Contributions of Spore Secondary Metabolites to UV-C Protection and Virulence Vary in Different Aspergillus fumigatus Strains

Production of melanin pigments in saprophytic fungi in vitro and during infection

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