The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum
Fusarium graminearum is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of cereals that produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) in grains. The stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase FgOS-2 is a central regulator in F. graminearum and controls, among others, virulence and DON...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The American Phytopathological Society
2013-12-01
|
| Series: | Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions |
| Online Access: | https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-04-13-0125-R |
| _version_ | 1811277764181884928 |
|---|---|
| author | Thuat Van Nguyen Cathrin Kröger Jakob Bönnighausen Wilhelm Schäfer Jörg Bormann |
| author_facet | Thuat Van Nguyen Cathrin Kröger Jakob Bönnighausen Wilhelm Schäfer Jörg Bormann |
| author_sort | Thuat Van Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fusarium graminearum is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of cereals that produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) in grains. The stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase FgOS-2 is a central regulator in F. graminearum and controls, among others, virulence and DON and ZEA production. Here, we characterized the ATF/CREB-activating transcription factor FgAtf1, a regulator that functions downstream of FgOS-2. We created deletion and overexpression mutants of Fgatf1, the latter being also in an FgOS-2 deletion mutant. FgAtf1 localizes to the nucleus and appears to interact with FgOS-2 under osmotic stress conditions. Deletion mutants in Fgatf1 (ΔFgatf1) are more sensitive to osmotic stress and less sensitive to oxidative stress compared with the wild type. Furthermore, sexual reproduction is delayed. ΔFgatf1 strains produced higher amounts of DON under in vitro induction conditions than that of the wild type. However, during wheat infection, DON production by ΔFgatf1 is strongly reduced. The ΔFgatf1 strains displayed strongly reduced virulence to wheat and maize. Interestingly, constitutive expression of Fgatf1 in the wild type led to hypervirulence on wheat, maize, and Brachypodium distachyon. Moreover, constitutive expression of Fgatf1 in the ΔFgOS-2 mutant background almost complements ΔFgOS-2-phenotypes. These data suggest that FgAtf1 may be the most important transcription factor regulated by FgOS-2. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:22:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af11159f95d64f388ab8e306a5d4254e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0894-0282 1943-7706 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T00:22:18Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | The American Phytopathological Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions |
| spelling | doaj.art-af11159f95d64f388ab8e306a5d4254e2022-12-22T03:10:44ZengThe American Phytopathological SocietyMolecular Plant-Microbe Interactions0894-02821943-77062013-12-0126121378139410.1094/MPMI-04-13-0125-RThe ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearumThuat Van NguyenCathrin KrögerJakob BönnighausenWilhelm SchäferJörg BormannFusarium graminearum is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of cereals that produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) in grains. The stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase FgOS-2 is a central regulator in F. graminearum and controls, among others, virulence and DON and ZEA production. Here, we characterized the ATF/CREB-activating transcription factor FgAtf1, a regulator that functions downstream of FgOS-2. We created deletion and overexpression mutants of Fgatf1, the latter being also in an FgOS-2 deletion mutant. FgAtf1 localizes to the nucleus and appears to interact with FgOS-2 under osmotic stress conditions. Deletion mutants in Fgatf1 (ΔFgatf1) are more sensitive to osmotic stress and less sensitive to oxidative stress compared with the wild type. Furthermore, sexual reproduction is delayed. ΔFgatf1 strains produced higher amounts of DON under in vitro induction conditions than that of the wild type. However, during wheat infection, DON production by ΔFgatf1 is strongly reduced. The ΔFgatf1 strains displayed strongly reduced virulence to wheat and maize. Interestingly, constitutive expression of Fgatf1 in the wild type led to hypervirulence on wheat, maize, and Brachypodium distachyon. Moreover, constitutive expression of Fgatf1 in the ΔFgOS-2 mutant background almost complements ΔFgOS-2-phenotypes. These data suggest that FgAtf1 may be the most important transcription factor regulated by FgOS-2.https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-04-13-0125-R |
| spellingShingle | Thuat Van Nguyen Cathrin Kröger Jakob Bönnighausen Wilhelm Schäfer Jörg Bormann The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions |
| title | The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum |
| title_full | The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum |
| title_fullStr | The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum |
| title_short | The ATF/CREB Transcription Factor Atf1 Is Essential for Full Virulence, Deoxynivalenol Production, and Stress Tolerance in the Cereal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum |
| title_sort | atf creb transcription factor atf1 is essential for full virulence deoxynivalenol production and stress tolerance in the cereal pathogen fusarium graminearum |
| url | https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-04-13-0125-R |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thuatvannguyen theatfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT cathrinkroger theatfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT jakobbonnighausen theatfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT wilhelmschafer theatfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT jorgbormann theatfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT thuatvannguyen atfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT cathrinkroger atfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT jakobbonnighausen atfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT wilhelmschafer atfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum AT jorgbormann atfcrebtranscriptionfactoratf1isessentialforfullvirulencedeoxynivalenolproductionandstresstoleranceinthecerealpathogenfusariumgraminearum |