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PeMetR ‐mediated sulfur assimilation is essential for virulence and patulin biosynthesis in Penicillium expansum
Author(s) -
Chen Yong,
Zhang Zhanquan,
Li Boqiang,
Tian Shiping
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.15704
Subject(s) - patulin , penicillium expansum , biology , virulence , mycotoxin , methionine , mutant , assimilation (phonology) , biosynthesis , microbiology and biotechnology , spore germination , repressor , biochemistry , gene , transcription factor , spore , botany , amino acid , postharvest , linguistics , philosophy
Summary Penicillium expansum , as the causal agent of blue mould and a main producer of mycotoxin patulin, is a global concern for economic and food safety. To date, the nutritional requirements of the pathogen during infection and patulin biosynthesis are poorly understood. Here, we genetically characterized the role of the bZIP transcription factor PeMetR in sulfur metabolism, virulence and patulin biosynthesis of P. expansum . The PeMetR regulator is crucial for normal germination and growth on inorganic S‐sources but dispensable for utilization of organic S‐sources. Accordingly, it is involved in regulating the expression of genes in sulfur assimilation pathway rather than methionine metabolic processes. Disruption of PeMetR resulted in a complete loss of virulence on various fruits. Additionally, the mutant showed a remarkably reduced ability to produce patulin. Exogenous methionine could partially or completely rescue the impaired phenotypes of the mutant. Inactivation of the sulfur assimilation pathway genes, PesA , PesB , PesC , PesF , generated growth, virulence and patulin production defects similar to those of Δ PeMetR . Overall, our study provides evidence that PeMetR‐mediated sulfur assimilation is essential for growth and infection and shows for the first time that regulation of sulfur assimilation affects biosynthesis of an important mycotoxin patulin in P. expansum .