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Zhu Y, Liu T, Wang Y, Chen G, Fang X, Zhou G, Wang J. ChsA, a Class Ⅱ Chitin Synthase, Contributes to Asexual Conidiation, Mycelial Morphology, Cell Wall Integrity, and the Production of Enzymes and Organic Acids in Aspergillus niger. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:801. [PMID: 37623572 PMCID: PMC10455844 DOI: 10.3390/jof9080801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Chitin synthases (CHSs) are vital enzymes for the synthesis of chitin and play important and differential roles in fungal development, cell wall integrity, environmental adaptation, virulence, and metabolism in fungi. However, except for ChsC, a class III CHS, little is known about the functions of CHSs in Aspergillus niger, an important fungus that is widely applied in the fermentation industry and food processing, as well as a spoilage fungus of food and a human pathogen. This study showed the important functions of ChsA, a class II CHS, in A. niger using multi-phenotypic and transcriptional analyses under various conditions. The deletion of chsA led to severe defects in conidiation on different media and resulted in the formation of smaller and less compact pellets with less septa in hyphal cells during submerged fermentation. Compared with the WT, the ΔchsA mutants exhibited less chitin content, reduced growth under the stresses of cell wall-disturbing and oxidative agents, more released protoplasts, a thicker conidial wall, decreased production of amylases, pectinases, cellulases, and malic acid, and increased citric acid production. However, ΔchsA mutants displayed insignificant changes in their sensitivity to osmotic agents and infection ability on apple. These findings concurred with the alteration in the transcript levels and enzymatic activities of some phenotype-related genes. Conclusively, ChsA is important for cell wall integrity and mycelial morphology, and acts as a positive regulator of conidiation, cellular responses to oxidative stresses, and the production of malic acid and some enzymes, but negatively regulates the citric acid production in A. niger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqi Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Y.Z.); (T.L.); (G.C.); (X.F.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China;
| | - Tong Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Y.Z.); (T.L.); (G.C.); (X.F.)
| | - Yingsi Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China;
| | - Guojun Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Y.Z.); (T.L.); (G.C.); (X.F.)
| | - Xiang Fang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Y.Z.); (T.L.); (G.C.); (X.F.)
| | - Gang Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China;
| | - Jie Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (Y.Z.); (T.L.); (G.C.); (X.F.)
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Wang T, Lv JL, Xu J, Wang XW, Zhu XQ, Guo LY. The catalase-peroxidase PiCP1 plays a critical role in abiotic stress resistance, pathogenicity and asexual structure development in Phytophthora infestans. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:532-547. [PMID: 36495132 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Catalase-peroxidase is a heme oxidoreductase widely distributed in bacteria and lower eukaryotes. In this study, we identified a catalase-peroxidase PiCP1 (PITG_05579) in Phytophthora infestans. PiCP1 had catalase/peroxidase and secretion activities and was highly expressed in sporangia and upregulated in response to oxidative and heat stresses. Compared with wild type, PiCP1-silenced transformants (STs) had decreased catalase activity, reduced oxidant stress resistance and damped cell wall integrity. In contrast, PiCP1-overexpression transformants (OTs) demonstrated increased tolerance to abiotic stresses and induced the upregulation of PR genes in the host salicylic acid pathway. The high concentration of PiCP1 can also induced callose deposition in plant tissue. Importantly, both STs and OTs have severely reduced sporangia formation and zoospore releasing rate, but the sporangia germination rate and type varied depending on environmental conditions. Comparative sequence analyses show that catalase-peroxidases are broadly distributed and highly conserved among soil-borne plant parasitic oomycetes, but not in freshwater-inhabiting or strictly plants-inhabiting oomycetes. In addition, we found that silencing PiCP1 downregulated the expression of PiCAT2. These results revealed the important roles of PiCP1 in abiotic stress resistance, pathogenicity and in regulating asexual structure development in response to environmental change. Our findings provide new insights into catalase-peroxidase functions in eukaryotic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuhong Wang
- College of Plant Protection and Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetic Breeding and Microbial Processing for Bast Fiber Product of Hunan Province and Key Laboratory of Biological and Processing for Bast Fiber Crops, MOAR, Changsha, PR China
| | - Jia-Lu Lv
- College of Plant Protection and Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jianping Xu
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Genetic Breeding and Microbial Processing for Bast Fiber Product of Hunan Province and Key Laboratory of Biological and Processing for Bast Fiber Crops, MOAR, Changsha, PR China
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Xiao-Wen Wang
- College of Plant Protection and Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Xiao-Qiong Zhu
- College of Plant Protection and Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Li-Yun Guo
- College of Plant Protection and Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, MOA, China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China
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Wu N, Xing M, Chen Y, Zhang C, Li Y, Song P, Xu Q, Liu H, Huang H. Improving the productivity of malic acid by alleviating oxidative stress during Aspergillus niger fermentation. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2022; 15:151. [PMID: 36581946 PMCID: PMC9801644 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-022-02250-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As an attractive platform chemical, malic acid has been commonly used in the food, feed and pharmaceutical field. Microbial fermentation of biobased sources to produce malic acid has attracted great attention because it is sustainable and environment-friendly. However, most studies mainly focus on improving yield and ignore shortening fermentation time. A long fermentation period means high cost, and hinders the industrial applications of microbial fermentation. Stresses, especially oxidative stress generated during fermentation, inhibit microbial growth and production, and prolong fermentation period. Previous studies have shown that polypeptides could effectively relieve stresses, but the underlying mechanisms were poorly understood. RESULTS In this study, polypeptides (especially elastin peptide) addition improves the productivity of malic acid in A. niger, resulting in shortening of fermentation time from 120 to 108 h. Transcriptome and biochemical analyses demonstrated that both antioxidant enzyme-mediated oxidative stress defense system, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and nonenzymatic antioxidant system, such as glutathione, were enhanced in the presence of elastin peptide, suggesting elastin peptide relieving oxidative stresses is involved in many pathways. In order to further investigate the relationship between oxidative stress defense and malic acid productivity, we overexpressed three enzymes (Sod1, CAT, Tps1) related to oxidation resistance in A. niger, respectively, and these resulting strains display varying degree of improvement in malic acid productivity. Especially, the strain overexpressing the Sod1 gene achieved a malate titer of 91.85 ± 2.58 g/L in 96 h, corresponding to a productivity of 0.96 g/L/h, which performs better than elastin peptide addition. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation provides an excellent reference for alleviating the stress of the fungal fermentation process and improving fermentation efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Wu
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046 China
| | - Mingyan Xing
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Yaru Chen
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Chi Zhang
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Yingfeng Li
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046 China
| | - Ping Song
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Qing Xu
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Hao Liu
- grid.413109.e0000 0000 9735 6249Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Microbial Metabolism and Fermentation Process Control, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China
| | - He Huang
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023 China ,grid.412022.70000 0000 9389 5210College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800 China
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Xu M, Zhang X, Yu J, Guo Z, Li Y, Song X, He K, Li G, Chi Y. Proteome-Wide Analysis of Lysine 2-Hydroxyisobutyrylation in Aspergillus niger in Peanuts. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:719337. [PMID: 34489910 PMCID: PMC8418202 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.719337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus niger is a very destructive pathogen causing severe peanut root rot, especially in the seeding stage of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), and often leading to the death of the plant. Protein lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib) is a newly detected post-translational modification identified in several species. In this study, we identified 5041 Khib sites on 1,453 modified proteins in A. niger. Compared with five other species, A. niger has conserved and novel proteins. Bioinformatics analysis showed that Khib proteins are widely distributed in A. niger and are involved in many biological processes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that Khib proteins were significantly enriched in many cellular compartments and pathways, such as ribosomes and proteasome subunits. A total of 223 Khib proteins were part of the PPI network, thus, suggesting that Khib proteins are associated with a large range of protein interactions and diverse pathways in the life processes of A. niger. Several identified proteins are involved in pathogenesis regulation. Our research provides the first comprehensive report of Khib and an extensive database for potential functional studies on Khib proteins in this economically important fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manlin Xu
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhiqing Guo
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Ying Li
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Xinying Song
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Kang He
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Guowei Li
- Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, SAAS, Jinan, China
| | - Yucheng Chi
- Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China
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Vaz WF, Neves BJ, Custodio JM, Silva LL, D'Oliveira GD, Lemes JA, Lacerda BF, Santos SX, Perez CN, Napolitano HB. In silico-driven identification and structural analysis of nitrodihydroquinolinone pesticide candidates with antifungal activity. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.129326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Zhu Z, Yang M, Bai Y, Ge F, Wang S. Antioxidant-related catalase CTA1 regulates development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and virulence in pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:2792-2810. [PMID: 32250030 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce the synthesis of a myriad of secondary metabolites, including aflatoxins. It raises significant concern as it is a potent environmental contaminant. In Aspergillus flavus., antioxidant enzymes link ROS stress response with coordinated gene regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis. In this study, we characterized the function of a core component of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CTA1) of A. flavus. Firstly, we verified the presence of cta1 corresponding protein (CTA1) by Western blot analysis and mass-spectrometry based analysis. Then, the functional study revealed that the growth, sporulation and sclerotia formation significantly increased, while aflatoxins production and virulence were decreased in the cta1 deletion mutant as compared with the WT and complementary strains. Furthermore, the absence of the cta1 gene resulted in a significant rise in the intracellular ROS level, which in turn added to the oxidative stress level of cells. A further quantitative proteomics investigation hinted that in vivo, CTA1 might maintain the ROS level to facilitate the aflatoxin synthesis. All in all, the pleiotropic phenotype of A. flavus CTA1 deletion mutant revealed that the antioxidant system plays a crucial role in fungal development, aflatoxins biosynthesis and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Mingkun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Youhuang Bai
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Feng Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Shihua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Fungi and Mycotoxins of Fujian Province, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
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Production, Signaling, and Scavenging Mechanisms of Reactive Oxygen Species in Fruit-Pathogen Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20122994. [PMID: 31248143 PMCID: PMC6627859 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20122994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a dual role in fruit–pathogen interaction, which largely depends on their different levels in cells. Fruit recognition of a pathogen immediately triggers an oxidative burst that is considered an integral part of the fruit defense response. ROS are also necessary for the virulence of pathogenic fungi. However, the accumulation of ROS in cells causes molecular damage and finally leads to cell death. In this review, on the basis of data regarding ROS production and the scavenging systems determining ROS homeostasis, we focus on the role of ROS in fruit defense reactions against pathogens and in fungi pathogenicity during fruit–pathogen interaction.
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Guo SX, Yao GF, Ye HR, Tang J, Huang ZQ, Yang F, Li YH, Han Z, Hu LY, Zhang H, Hu KD. Functional Characterization of a Cystathionine β-Synthase Gene in Sulfur Metabolism and Pathogenicity of Aspergillus niger in Pear Fruit. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2019; 67:4435-4443. [PMID: 30945533 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b00325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus niger, which is a fungal pathogen, causes rot in a variety of fruits. In this study, the cystathionine β-synthase cbsA gene was deleted by homologous recombination to study its role in sulfur metabolism and pathogenicity of A. niger. The results showed that Δ cbsA strain maintained normal mycelia growth and sporulation compared with the control strain A. niger MA 70.15, whereas the contents of cysteine and glutathione (GSH) increased significantly after cbsA deletion. However, Δ cbsA strain showed reduced endogenous H2S production. Further results showed that cbsA gene deletion induced higher resistance to cadmium stress and stronger infectivity to pears. It was also found that a stronger response of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was induced in Δ cbsA mutant-infected pear compared with the control strain. In all, the present research suggested the important role of cbsA in sulfur metabolism and pathogenicity of A. niger in pear fruit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Xuan Guo
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
| | - Gai-Fang Yao
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
| | - Hui-Ran Ye
- School of Science , Renmin University of China , Beijing 100872 , China
| | - Jun Tang
- Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Xuhuai District of Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou 221131 , China
| | - Zhong-Qin Huang
- Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Xuhuai District of Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou 221131 , China
| | - Feng Yang
- Xuzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Xuhuai District of Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou 221131 , China
| | - Yan-Hong Li
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
| | - Zhuo Han
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
| | - Lan-Ying Hu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Functional Compound Seasoning , Anhui Qiangwang Seasoning Food Co., Ltd. , Jieshou 236500 , China
| | - Hua Zhang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
| | - Kang-Di Hu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering , Hefei University of Technology , Hefei 230009 , China
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Zhang J, Chen H, Sumarah MW, Gao Q, Wang D, Zhang Y. veA Gene Acts as a Positive Regulator of Conidia Production, Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis, and Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Aspergillus niger. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2018; 66:13199-13208. [PMID: 30456955 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b04523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The veA gene is a key regulator governing morphogenetic development and secondary metabolism in many fungi. Here, we characterized and disrupted a veA orthologue in an ochratoxigenic Aspergillus niger strain. Morphological development, ochratoxin A (OTA) biosynthesis, and oxidative stress tolerance in the wild-type and veA disruption strains were further analyzed. Accordingly, the link between the veA gene and development of specific gene brlA, OTA biosynthesis key gene pks, and oxidative-stress-tolerance-related gene cat was explored. Results demonstrated that the veA gene acts as a positive regulator of conidia production, OTA biosynthesis, and oxidative stress tolerance in A. niger, regardless of light conditions. Darkness promoted conidial production and OTA biosynthesis in the A. niger wild-type strain. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the veA regulatory mechanism and suggest the veA gene as a potential target for developing control strategies for A. niger infection and OTA biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mark W Sumarah
- London Research and Development Centre , Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , 1391 Sandford Street , London , Ontario N5V 4T3 , Canada
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