Metabolic Changes of Induced by Gene Deletion.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) mainly resulting from () Schwabe is a notorious wheat disease causing huge losses in wheat production globally. also produces mycotoxins, which are harmful to human and domestic animals. In our previous study, we obtained two mutants, and , respectively, with a single deletion of trehalose 6-phosphate synthase () and trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase () compared with the wild type (WT). Both mutants were unable to synthesize trehalose and produced fewer mycotoxins. To understand the other biochemical changes induced by gene deletion in , we comprehensively analyzed the metabolomic differences between mutants and the WT using NMR together with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry. The expression of some relevant genes was also quantified. The results showed that and mutants shared some common metabolic feature such as decreased levels for trehalose, Val, Thr, Lys, Asp, His, Trp, malonate, citrate, uridine, guanosine, inosine, AMP, C10:0, and C16:1 compared with the WT. Both mutants also shared some common expressional patterns for most of the relevant genes. This suggests that apart from the reduced trehalose biosynthesis, both and have roles in inhibiting glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle but promoting the phosphopentose pathway and nucleotide synthesis; the depletion of either gene reduces the acetyl-CoA-mediated mycotoxin biosynthesis. mutants produced more fatty acids than mutants, suggesting different roles for and , with mutants having impaired trehalose biosynthesis and trehalose 6-phosphate accumulation. This may offer opportunities for developing new fungicides targeting trehalose biosynthesis in for FHB control and mycotoxin reduction in the FHB-affected cereals.