The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils
<i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> is considered one of the main fungi responsible for black and sour rot in grapes, as well as the production of the carcinogenic mycotoxin ochratoxin A. The global regulatory methyltransferase protein <i>LaeA</i> controls the production of variou...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Toxins |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/2 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832587471540453376 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria K. Iliadi Maria Varveri Anastasia E. Kapetanakou Panagiotis N. Skandamis Dimitrios I. Tsitsigiannis |
| author_facet | Maria K. Iliadi Maria Varveri Anastasia E. Kapetanakou Panagiotis N. Skandamis Dimitrios I. Tsitsigiannis |
| author_sort | Maria K. Iliadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> is considered one of the main fungi responsible for black and sour rot in grapes, as well as the production of the carcinogenic mycotoxin ochratoxin A. The global regulatory methyltransferase protein <i>LaeA</i> controls the production of various secondary metabolites in <i>Aspergillus</i> species, as well as influences sexual and asexual reproduction and morphology. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the regulatory gene <i>AclaeA</i> in physiology, virulence, and ochratoxin A (OTA) production by deleting this gene from the genome of a wild-type <i>A. carbonarius</i> strain. The evaluation data on the morphological characteristics, virulence experiments in three different grape varieties, and OTA analysis of Δ<i>AclaeA</i> mutants showed that the growth and the OTA production by Δ<i>AclaeA</i> strains were significantly reduced. The mutant strains were also less virulent, producing 40–50% less conidia in three different cultivars of grape berries. Additionally, the gene <i>AclaeA</i> was considerably repressed after the application of three commercial biopesticides (Trianum-P<sup>®</sup>, Vacciplant<sup>®</sup>, and Serenade<sup>®</sup> Max) and the essential oils (EOs) cinnamon, geranium, and thyme, which were also shown to inhibit OTA biosynthesis in <i>A. carbonarius</i>. The study of the regulatory gene <i>AclaeA</i> can contribute to a broader understanding of the role of secondary metabolites during <i>A. carbonarius</i>—grape interactions, as well as the discovery of the mode of action of biological plant protection products and EOs against this mycotoxigenic fungus. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fcd59b864c3c4b2998e29e896cb0d4a6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-6651 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxins |
| spelling | doaj-art-fcd59b864c3c4b2998e29e896cb0d4a62025-01-24T13:51:09ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512024-12-01171210.3390/toxins17010002The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential OilsMaria K. Iliadi0Maria Varveri1Anastasia E. Kapetanakou2Panagiotis N. Skandamis3Dimitrios I. Tsitsigiannis4Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, GreeceInstitute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization—DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA), 141 23 Lykovrissi, GreeceLaboratory of Food Quality Control and Hygiene, Department of Food Science & Technology, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Plant Pathology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, Greece<i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> is considered one of the main fungi responsible for black and sour rot in grapes, as well as the production of the carcinogenic mycotoxin ochratoxin A. The global regulatory methyltransferase protein <i>LaeA</i> controls the production of various secondary metabolites in <i>Aspergillus</i> species, as well as influences sexual and asexual reproduction and morphology. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the regulatory gene <i>AclaeA</i> in physiology, virulence, and ochratoxin A (OTA) production by deleting this gene from the genome of a wild-type <i>A. carbonarius</i> strain. The evaluation data on the morphological characteristics, virulence experiments in three different grape varieties, and OTA analysis of Δ<i>AclaeA</i> mutants showed that the growth and the OTA production by Δ<i>AclaeA</i> strains were significantly reduced. The mutant strains were also less virulent, producing 40–50% less conidia in three different cultivars of grape berries. Additionally, the gene <i>AclaeA</i> was considerably repressed after the application of three commercial biopesticides (Trianum-P<sup>®</sup>, Vacciplant<sup>®</sup>, and Serenade<sup>®</sup> Max) and the essential oils (EOs) cinnamon, geranium, and thyme, which were also shown to inhibit OTA biosynthesis in <i>A. carbonarius</i>. The study of the regulatory gene <i>AclaeA</i> can contribute to a broader understanding of the role of secondary metabolites during <i>A. carbonarius</i>—grape interactions, as well as the discovery of the mode of action of biological plant protection products and EOs against this mycotoxigenic fungus.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/2<i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i>secondary metabolismochratoxin Amycotoxinsessential oilsbiopesticides |
| spellingShingle | Maria K. Iliadi Maria Varveri Anastasia E. Kapetanakou Panagiotis N. Skandamis Dimitrios I. Tsitsigiannis The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils Toxins <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> secondary metabolism ochratoxin A mycotoxins essential oils biopesticides |
| title | The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils |
| title_full | The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils |
| title_fullStr | The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils |
| title_short | The Global Secondary Metabolite Regulator <i>AcLaeA</i> Modulates <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> Virulence, Ochratoxin Biosynthesis, and the Mode of Action of Biopesticides and Essential Oils |
| title_sort | global secondary metabolite regulator i aclaea i modulates i aspergillus carbonarius i virulence ochratoxin biosynthesis and the mode of action of biopesticides and essential oils |
| topic | <i>Aspergillus carbonarius</i> secondary metabolism ochratoxin A mycotoxins essential oils biopesticides |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariakiliadi theglobalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT mariavarveri theglobalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT anastasiaekapetanakou theglobalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT panagiotisnskandamis theglobalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT dimitriositsitsigiannis theglobalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT mariakiliadi globalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT mariavarveri globalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT anastasiaekapetanakou globalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT panagiotisnskandamis globalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils AT dimitriositsitsigiannis globalsecondarymetaboliteregulatoriaclaeaimodulatesiaspergilluscarbonariusivirulenceochratoxinbiosynthesisandthemodeofactionofbiopesticidesandessentialoils |