Citric acid impairs type B trichothecene biosynthesis of Fusarium graminearum but enhances its growth and pigment biosynthesis: transcriptomic and proteomic analyses

作者：Luzhou Cai, Ling Li, Dong Li, Yanping Wu, Jinrong Bai, Kai Zhong, Hong Gao · 发表于：Applied and Environmental Microbiology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1128/aem.01531-24 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food、Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases

ABSTRACT Fusarium graminearum is a pathogenic fungus that causes devastating plant diseases such as Fusarium head blight, leading to significant food waste and posing a threat to human health due to the accumulation of mycotoxins. As a soil-borne fungus, F. graminearum interacts closely with plants and soil, completing its life cycle in an intricate environment. In this investigation, citric acid (CA), a plant root exudate and heavy metal chelator, was investigated for its effect on F. graminearum at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mM. The fungus treated with this CA gradient exhibited different growth conditions and mycelial colors. Integrative analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics found that the growth of the fungus was accelerated by the upregulation of carbon source metabolism-related enzymes such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), Glpk, and LAI12, and the mycelial pigments were altered by polyketide biosynthetic enzymes like AurF, AurJ, and AurT, which were responsible for the production of aurofusarin and rubrofusarin. Interestingly, many Tri genes and their corresponding proteins along with type B trichothecene biosynthesis were significantly downregulated, though the fungal growth was promoted. In this study, the CK, 2.5, and 5 mM groups had similar expression patterns of RNA and protein, while the 10 and 20 mM groups were alike. With the validation of CK, 5, and 10 mM groups, the discovery of CA as a type B trichothecene biosynthesis inhibitor an...