Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e0209600 |
| Journal | PLOS ONE |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Early online date | 31 Dec 2018 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 31 Dec 2018 |
Abstract
Pigments and phytotoxins are crucial for the survival and spread of plant pathogenic fungi. The genome of the tomato biotrophic fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum contains a predicted gene cluster (CfPKS1, CfPRF1, CfRDT1 and CfTSF1) that is syntenic with the characterized elsinochrome toxin gene cluster in the citrus pathogen Elsinoë fawcettii. However, a previous phylogenetic analysis suggested that CfPks1 might instead be involved in pigment production. Here, we report the characterization of the CfPKS1 gene cluster to resolve this ambiguity. Activation of the regulator CfTSF1 specifically induced the expression of CfPKS1 and CfRDT1, but not of CfPRF1. These co-regulated genes that define the CfPKS1 gene cluster are orthologous to genes involved in 1,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin biosynthesis in other fungi. Heterologous expression of CfPKS1 in Aspergillus oryzae yielded 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene, a typical precursor of DHN melanin. Δcfpks1 deletion mutants showed similar altered pigmentation to wild type treated with DHN melanin inhibitors. These mutants remained virulent on tomato, showing this gene cluster is not involved in pathogenicity. Altogether, our results showed that the CfPKS1 gene cluster is involved in the production of DHN melanin and suggests that elsinochrome production in E. fawcettii likely involves another gene cluster.
Keywords
- Cladosporium/physiology, Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal, Gene Order, Genes, Fungal, Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics, Lycopersicon esculentum/microbiology, Melanins/biosynthesis, Multigene Family, Phenotype, Phylogeny, Pigmentation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
- General
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
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In: PLOS ONE, Vol. 13, No. 12, e0209600, 31.12.2018.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Assignment of a dubious gene cluster to melanin biosynthesis in the tomato fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum
AU - Griffiths, Scott A.
AU - Cox, Russell J.
AU - Overdijk, Elysa J.R.
AU - Mesarich, Carl H.
AU - Saccomanno, Benedetta
AU - Lazarus, Colin M.
AU - de Wit, Pierre J.G.M.
AU - Collemare, Jérôme
N1 - Funding information: SAG, JC, CHM, and PJGMdW were financially supported by a grant from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. RJC thanks DFG for LCMS equipment (INST 187/621-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SAG, JC, CHM, and PJGMdW were financially supported by a grant from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. RJC thanks DFG for LCMS equipment (INST 187/621-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2018/12/31
Y1 - 2018/12/31
N2 - Pigments and phytotoxins are crucial for the survival and spread of plant pathogenic fungi. The genome of the tomato biotrophic fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum contains a predicted gene cluster (CfPKS1, CfPRF1, CfRDT1 and CfTSF1) that is syntenic with the characterized elsinochrome toxin gene cluster in the citrus pathogen Elsinoë fawcettii. However, a previous phylogenetic analysis suggested that CfPks1 might instead be involved in pigment production. Here, we report the characterization of the CfPKS1 gene cluster to resolve this ambiguity. Activation of the regulator CfTSF1 specifically induced the expression of CfPKS1 and CfRDT1, but not of CfPRF1. These co-regulated genes that define the CfPKS1 gene cluster are orthologous to genes involved in 1,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin biosynthesis in other fungi. Heterologous expression of CfPKS1 in Aspergillus oryzae yielded 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene, a typical precursor of DHN melanin. Δcfpks1 deletion mutants showed similar altered pigmentation to wild type treated with DHN melanin inhibitors. These mutants remained virulent on tomato, showing this gene cluster is not involved in pathogenicity. Altogether, our results showed that the CfPKS1 gene cluster is involved in the production of DHN melanin and suggests that elsinochrome production in E. fawcettii likely involves another gene cluster.
AB - Pigments and phytotoxins are crucial for the survival and spread of plant pathogenic fungi. The genome of the tomato biotrophic fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum contains a predicted gene cluster (CfPKS1, CfPRF1, CfRDT1 and CfTSF1) that is syntenic with the characterized elsinochrome toxin gene cluster in the citrus pathogen Elsinoë fawcettii. However, a previous phylogenetic analysis suggested that CfPks1 might instead be involved in pigment production. Here, we report the characterization of the CfPKS1 gene cluster to resolve this ambiguity. Activation of the regulator CfTSF1 specifically induced the expression of CfPKS1 and CfRDT1, but not of CfPRF1. These co-regulated genes that define the CfPKS1 gene cluster are orthologous to genes involved in 1,3-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin biosynthesis in other fungi. Heterologous expression of CfPKS1 in Aspergillus oryzae yielded 1,3,6,8-tetrahydroxynaphthalene, a typical precursor of DHN melanin. Δcfpks1 deletion mutants showed similar altered pigmentation to wild type treated with DHN melanin inhibitors. These mutants remained virulent on tomato, showing this gene cluster is not involved in pathogenicity. Altogether, our results showed that the CfPKS1 gene cluster is involved in the production of DHN melanin and suggests that elsinochrome production in E. fawcettii likely involves another gene cluster.
KW - Cladosporium/physiology
KW - Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
KW - Gene Order
KW - Genes, Fungal
KW - Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics
KW - Lycopersicon esculentum/microbiology
KW - Melanins/biosynthesis
KW - Multigene Family
KW - Phenotype
KW - Phylogeny
KW - Pigmentation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85059261055&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0209600
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0209600
M3 - Article
C2 - 30596695
AN - SCOPUS:85059261055
VL - 13
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 12
M1 - e0209600
ER -