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Serine O-acetyltransferase is important, but not essential for cysteine–methionine synthesis in Fusarium graminearum

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Abstract

O-acetyltransferase (SAT) is a key enzyme converting serine into O-acetylserine in the synthesis of sulphur-containing amino acids. To characterize the function of FgSAT in Fusarium graminearum, three deletion mutants of FgSAT (ΔFgSAT-1, -2 and -18) were obtained using a gene replacement strategy. The three mutants did not show recognizable phenotypic changes on potato dextrose agar medium, but exhibited a very weak growth on fructose gelatin agar (FGA) medium containing SO4 2− as sole sulfur source. Supplementation of O-acetylserine, cysteine, or methionine, but not serine, rescued the defect of mycelial growth in FgSAT deletion mutants, indicating that FgSAT is involved in conversion of serine into O-acetylserine. The three mutants had a decrease in conidiation in mung bean liquid, but not in carboxymethyl cellulose. Virulence, deoxynivalenol production and fungicide sensitivity assays found that the three mutants showed no significant difference from wild-type progenitor PH-1. Real-time PCR assays detected an increase in expression levels of FgOAHS, FgCBS and FgCGL genes involved in the alternative pathway in FgSAT deletion mutants, suggesting that the alternative pathway in F. graminearum is present and can operate. Addition of homoserine, the upstream substrate of the alternative pathway, also restored the normal mycelial growth of FgSAT deletion mutants on FGA, indicating that the alternative pathway in F. graminearum might be positively regulated by homoserine.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the 973 Project (2013CB127802), National Science Foundation (31170135), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities to Dr. Yin.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Jing Fu, Xiaoping Zhang, Xiang Chen, Yanni Yin & Zhonghua Ma

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  1. Jing Fu
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  2. Xiaoping Zhang
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  3. Xiang Chen
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  4. Yanni Yin
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  5. Zhonghua Ma
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Correspondence to Yanni Yin.

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11274_2013_1544_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Fig. S1 Virulence of the wild-type progenitor PH-1, FgSAT deletion mutants ∆FgSAT-1, -2 and -18 on wheat heads. Wheat heads were point inoculated with conidial suspension of each strain, and infected wheat heads were examined 15 days after inoculation. (TIFF 2610 kb)

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Fu, J., Zhang, X., Chen, X. et al. Serine O-acetyltransferase is important, but not essential for cysteine–methionine synthesis in Fusarium graminearum . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 30, 1219–1228 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-013-1544-5

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