Metabolite diversity in the plant pathogen Alternaria brassicicola: factors affecting production of brassicicolin A, depudecin, phomapyrone A and other metabolites

Abstract

A systematic investigation of the metabolites of Alternaria brassicicola produced under various culture conditions is reported. The phytotoxin brassicicolin A is produced in significantly larger amounts in potato dextrose broth than in minimal medium cultures. In general an increase in the incubation temperature of cultures 23–30 C increases the production of brassicicolin A but decreases depudecin production. Reducing or eliminating nitrate from culture media or adding ammonium chloride increases the production of brassicicolin A at 30 C, depudecin at 23 C and α-acetylorcinol at either temperature, suggesting that nitrogen represses their biosynthesis. Siderophores are detected in cultures of A. brassicicola containing low and high ferric ion concentrations. The metabolites α-acetylorcinol and tyrosol are isolated for the first time from cultures of A. brassicicola, and α-acetylorcinol is synthesized in four steps and 36% overall yield. Only brassicicolin A and no other isolated metabolites, including depudecin and phomapyrone A, display phytotoxicity on leaves of Brassica species (up to 5.0 mM). Epigenetic modifiers, 5-azacitidin (5-AZA), suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and suberoyl bis-hydroxamic acid (SBHA) do not affect the metabolite profiles of liquid cultures of this fungal pathogen.