Velvet Family Protein FpVelB Affects Virulence in Association with Secondary Metabolism in <i>Fusarium pseudograminearum</i>
Yuxing Wu,
Sen Han,
Yajiao Wang,
Qiusheng Li,
Lingxiao Kong
Affiliations
Yuxing Wu
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Integrated Pest Management Center of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture, Baoding 071000, China
Sen Han
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Integrated Pest Management Center of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture, Baoding 071000, China
Yajiao Wang
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Integrated Pest Management Center of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture, Baoding 071000, China
Qiusheng Li
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Integrated Pest Management Center of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture, Baoding 071000, China
Lingxiao Kong
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Integrated Pest Management Center of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of IPM on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture, Baoding 071000, China
Fusarium pseudograminearum causes destructive crown disease in wheat. The velvet protein family is a crucial regulator in development, virulence, and secondary metabolism of fungi. We conducted a functional analysis of FpVelB using a gene replacement strategy. The deletion of FpVelB decreased radial growth and enhanced conidial production compared to that of wild type. Furthermore, FpVelB modulates the fungal responses to abiotic stress through diverse mechanisms. Significantly, virulence decreased after the deletion of FpVelB in both the stem base and head of wheat. Genome-wide gene expression profiling revealed that the regulation of genes by FpVelB is associated with several processes related to the aforementioned phenotype, including “immune”, “membrane”, and “antioxidant activity”, particularly with regard to secondary metabolites. Most importantly, we demonstrated that FpVelB regulates pathogen virulence by influencing deoxynivalenol production and modulating the expression of the PKS11 gene. In conclusion, FpVelB is crucial for plant growth, asexual development, and abiotic stress response and is essential for full virulence via secondary metabolism in F. pseudograminearum.
