The pH-Responsive Transcription Factor PacC Governs Pathogenicity and Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis in .

Pathogenic fungi must respond effectively to changes in environmental pH for successful host colonization, virulence and toxin production. is a mycotoxigenic pathogen with the ability to colonize many plant hosts and secrete ochratoxin A (OTA). In this study, we characterized the functions and addressed the role of PacC-mediated pH signaling in pathogenicity using designed gene knockout mutant. Δ mutant displayed an acidity-mimicking phenotype, which resulted in impaired fungal growth at neutral/alkaline pH, accompanied by reduced sporulation and conidial germination compared to the wild type (WT) strain. The Δ mutant was unable to efficiently acidify the growth media as a direct result of diminished gluconic and citric acid production. Furthermore, loss of resulted in a complete inhibition of OTA production at pH 7.0. Additionally, Δ mutant exhibited attenuated virulence compared to the WT toward grapes and nectarine fruits. Reintroduction of gene into Δ mutant restored the WT phenotype. Our results demonstrate important roles of PacC of in OTA biosynthesis and in pathogenicity by controlling transcription of genes important for fungal secondary metabolism and infection.