Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348485
Research Project: Novel Methods for Controlling Trichothecene Contamination of Grain and Improving the Climate Resilience of Food Safety and Security Programs

Location: Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research

Title: Characterization of Fusarium graminearum salicylate hydroxylases and their potential role in wheat pathogenesis

Author
item Hao, Guixia
item Vaughan, Martha
item Naumann, Todd
item McCormick, Susan
item Kelly, Amy
item Ward, Todd

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/3/2018
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium graminearum is the major causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), which reduces crop yield and contaminates grains by producing various mycotoxins. Comparative genomic analyses of three North American F. graminearum populations (NA1, NA2 and NA3), identified six putative salicylate hydroxylase (Sah) homologs present in all three populations, and one unique Sah, designated FgSahA, only present in strains belonging to the NA2 population. Wheat FHB assays with FgSahA deletion mutants (Fg'SahA) indicate that FgShaA plays a modest but significant role in virulence. Furthermore, we determined that transcription of salicylic acid (SA) defense signaling marker genes including PR1, PR1a and PR2 were significantly upregulated in wheat heads inoculated with Fg'SahA compared to the wild type strain; however, corresponding differences in SA concentrations were not observed. Attempts to determine if FgSahA is a salicylate hydroxylase by enzyme assay have been inconclusive. Recombinant FgSahA did not degrade SA using colorimetric plate assay, but this may be due to its inability to fold correctly as indicated by its poor solubility. In addition, gene expression data showed that the FgSahA and another homolog (FgSahB) were highly induced by addition of SA in media. Functional characterization of salicylate hydroxylases in F. graminearum will improve our understanding of how these pathogens manipulate plant defenses and cause FHB. Furthermore, understanding population differences may reveal population specific adaptions and novel control measures.