Wang Jing, Sun Zhuo, Liu Shuang, Li Binshan, Chen Yun, Ma Zhonghua
College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
National Key Laboratory of Rice Biological Breeding, Institute of Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China.
J Agric Food Chem. 2025 Aug 6;73(31):19728-19740. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c02380. Epub 2025 Jul 28.
The forkhead box (FOX) proteins are a conserved family of eukaryotic transcription factors with diverse biological functions. However, the role and evolution of FOX proteins in filamentous fungi have not been fully explored. In this study, we identified and characterized four FOX transcription factors and two forkhead-associated domain (FHA) proteins in the fungal pathogen , the causative agent of head blight on cereal crops. Our results reveal that the FOX transcription factors FgHcm1 and FgFoxO4, along with the FHA domain-containing protein FgFha1, are essential for the full virulence of . These proteins regulate fungal penetration of wheat spikelets by modulating the expression of penetration-related genes. In addition, FgHcm1, FgFoxO4, and FgFha1 influence both asexual and sexual reproduction. Deletion of these genes also confers increased sensitivity to various stressors including fungicides. Notably, the gene deletion mutants Δ, Δ, and Δ exhibited heightened sensitivity to tebuconazole, and these proteins regulate the inducible expression of the gene in response to tebuconazole treatment. Furthermore, Δ mutants showed increased sensitivity to rapamycin with impaired autophagic responses. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of FOX and FHA proteins in a filamentous fungal pathogen, highlighting their critical roles in virulence, stress tolerance, and fungicide resistance in .
叉头框（FOX）蛋白是一类保守的真核转录因子家族，具有多种生物学功能。然而，FOX蛋白在丝状真菌中的作用和进化尚未得到充分探索。在本研究中，我们在真菌病原体（谷物作物穗枯病的病原体）中鉴定并表征了4个FOX转录因子和2个叉头相关结构域（FHA）蛋白。我们的结果表明，FOX转录因子FgHcm1和FgFoxO4，以及含FHA结构域的蛋白FgFha1，对该病原体的完全致病性至关重要。这些蛋白通过调节与穿透相关基因的表达来调控真菌对小麦小穗的穿透。此外，FgHcm1、FgFoxO4和FgFha1影响无性和有性繁殖。这些基因的缺失还使该病原体对包括杀菌剂在内的各种应激源的敏感性增加。值得注意的是，基因缺失突变体Δ、Δ和Δ对戊唑醇表现出更高的敏感性，并且这些蛋白在戊唑醇处理后调节基因的诱导表达。此外，Δ突变体对雷帕霉素表现出更高的敏感性，自噬反应受损。本研究首次对丝状真菌病原体中的FOX和FHA蛋白进行了全面分析，突出了它们在该病原体的致病性、应激耐受性和抗杀菌剂性中的关键作用。
