Abstract

Fusarium verticillioides is a filamentous fungus that infects maize and synthesizes fumonisins, a family of toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites. We are studying the role of trehalose in stress response in F. verticillioides. Trehalose‐6‐phosphate (T6P) synthase catalyzes the first step in trehalose synthesis, and a mutant lacking the gene that codes for T6P synthase does not produce trehalose or fumonisins. We report here that treatment with menadione or hydrogen peroxide inhibits germination of the mutant strain (Δtps1) more than the wild‐type strain. Whereas hydrogen peroxide delays germination, menadione reduces both the rate and percent germination, and significantly inhibits hyphal branching of both strains. To explore whether the sensitivity of Δtps1 to oxidative stress is caused by the lack of trehalose or the absence of a secondary function of the T6P synthase protein, we are studying mutants that express a catalytically inactive T6P synthase.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

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