FgIlv5 is required for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and full virulence in Fusarium graminearum

In this study, we characterized FgIlv5, a homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae keto-acid reductoisomerase (KARI) from the important wheat head scab fungus Fusarium graminearum. KARI is a key enzyme in the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA, including leucine, isoleucine and valine) biosynthetic pathway that exists in a variety of organisms from bacteria to fungi and higher plants, but not in mammals. The FgILV5 deletion mutant ΔFgIlv5-4 failed to grow when the culture medium was nutritionally limited for BCAAs. When grown on potato-dextrose agar plates, ΔFgIlv5-4 exhibited a significant decrease in aerial hyphae formation and red pigmentation. Conidia formation was also blocked in ΔFgIlv5-4. Exogenous addition of 1 mM isoleucine and valine was able to rescue the defects of mycelial growth and conidial morphogenesis. Cellular stress assays showed that ΔFgIlv5-4 was more sensitive to osmotic and oxidative stresses than the wild-type strain. In addition, virulence of ΔFgIlv5-4 was dramatically reduced on wheat heads, and a low level of deoxynivalenol production was detected in ΔFgIlv5-4 in wheat kernels. The results of this study indicate that FgIlv5 is involved in valine and isoleucine biosynthesis and is required for full virulence in F. graminearum.