Abstract
Fusarium graminearum is a harmful pathogen causing head blight in cereals such as wheat and barley, and thymol has been proven to inhibit the growth of many pathogens. This study aims to explore the fungistatic effect of thymol on F. graminearum and its mechanism. Different concentrations of thymol were used to treat F. graminearum. The results showed that the EC50 concentration of thymol against F. graminearum was 40 μg/mL. Compared with the control group, 40 μg/mL of thymol reduced the production of Deoxynivalenol (DON) and 3-Ac-DON by 70.1% and 78.2%, respectively. Our results indicate that thymol can effectively inhibit the growth and toxin production of F. graminearum and cause an extensive transcriptome response. Transcriptome identified 16,727 non-redundant unigenes and 1653 unigenes that COG did not annotate. The correlation coefficients between samples were all >0.941. When FC was 2.0 times, a total of 3230 differential unigenes were identified, of which 1223 were up-regulated, and 2007 were down-regulated. Through the transcriptome, we confirmed that the expression of many genes involved in F. graminearum growth and synthesis of DON and other secondary metabolites were also changed. The gluconeogenesis/glycolysis pathway may be a potential and important way for thymol to affect the growth of F. graminearum hyphae and the production of DON simultaneously.
Highlights
Crops and food are often contaminated by molds and mycotoxins [1]
The results show that thymol had a good fungistatic effect, and the 10 μg/mL thymol treatment group significantly reduced the colony diameter on the fourth day (Figures 1C and 2B)
The results show that 40 μg/mL thymol could significantly inhibit the production of DON and 3-Ac-DON by F. graminearum
Summary
Crops and food are often contaminated by molds and mycotoxins [1]. A large amount of feed and food are rendered unfit for consumption due to mycotoxins contamination around the globe [4]. DON often contaminates wheat, barley, and oats. It can affect animal growth, immunity, and intestinal barrier function. In severe cases, it can induce vomiting, refusal to feed, and gastrointestinal bleeding in pigs [10]. Great attention is paid to controlling mycotoxins in feed to reduce economic losses. Due to the urgency of controlling FHB and the toxicity of trichothecenes, F. graminearum is listed as one of the top 10 fungal plant pathogens. Due to its great potential to inhibit pathogens and their medicinal properties, it is considered one of the most promising biological antifungal agents
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