FpOGT is required for fungal growth, stress response, and virulence of Fusarium proliferatum by affecting the expression of glucokinase and other glucose metabolism-related genes

Abstract

Abstract O-GlcNAcylation, an important post-translational modification catalyzed by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), plays critical roles in several biological processes. In this study, we present our findings on the function of FpOGT in regulating physiological processes and pathogenicity of Fusarium proliferatum (Fp), the alfalfa root rot fungus. The deletion of FpOGT impaired mycelial growth and altered macroconidia morphology in Fp. Furthermore, ΔFpOGT mutant displayed altered tolerance to various stressors, including cell wall perturbing agents, osmotic stressors, metal ionic stressors, and fungicides. Deletion of FpOGT significantly decreased Fp virulence toward alfalfa. The transcriptome analysis demonstrated that FpOGT plays a regulatory role in glucose metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), by influencing the expression of relevant genes. The downregulation of the glucokinase gene, FpGCK, was observed in ΔFpOGT, and the disruption of FpGCK led to a decrease in Fp virulence. Additionally, FpOGT affected the expression levels of the FpGCK-AS1 isoform, thereby impacting glucokinase function. The molecular docking analysis elucidated the plausible physical interaction between FpOGT and FpGCK, thereby offering valuable insights into their interrelationship. These findings underscore the indispensable involvement of FpOGT, the sole O-GlcNAc transferase in Fp, in various biological processes and the pathogenicity through its regulation of fundamental metabolic processes. Consequently, this study emphasizes the significance and elucidates the molecular mechanism underlying the role of O-GlcNAc transferase in diverse fundamental biological processes and the pathogenicity of phytopathogenic fungi.

Keywords

• Fusarium proliferatum
• FpOGT
• Glucokinase
• Glucose metabolism
• Virulence
• Alfalfa