Abstract
Transcriptome analysis is a widely used approach to study the molecular mechanisms underlying development and the responses of fungi to environmental cues. However, it is difficult to obtain cells with a homogeneous status from the sexually-induced culture of the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. In this study, we provided phenotypic and genetic evidence to show that the current conditions applied for perithecia induction inevitably highly induced asexual sporulation in this fungus. We also found that hundreds of genes under the control of the conidiation-specific gene ABAA were unnecessarily upregulated after perithecia induction. Deletion of ABAA specifically blocked conidia production in both the wild-type strain and sexually-defective mutants during sexual development. Taken together, our results suggest that the abaA strain could be used as a background strain for studies of the initial stages of perithecia production in F. graminearum. Further comparative transcriptome analysis between the abaA mutant and the sexually-defective transcription factor mutant carrying the ABAA deletion would contribute to the construction of the genetic networks involved in perithecia development in F. graminearum.
Highlights
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an important and widespread disease of major small grains
We found that AbaA is required for phialide formation and function, and that AbaA exclusively localized to nuclei during conidiogenesis
Based on our previous genetic results and bioinformatics verification, we propose that the conidia nonproducing mutant, alternative background strain (abaA), is useful for studies of F. graminearum sexual development
Summary
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an important and widespread disease of major small grains. Fusarium graminearum is the primary causative agent of FHB worldwide [1]. In addition to yield and quality losses, the importance of FHB lies in the accumulation of harmful mycotoxins [2]. FHB epidemics continue to occur throughout the world in accordance with recent emerging fungal diseases in animals and plants [3,4]. Because few resistant cultivars and fungicides with effective applications and competitive prices are available, FHB remains difficult to control [4]. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the F. graminearum life cycle is required to develop effective strategies to control FHB
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