| Title: | Acetate provokes mitochondrial stress and cell death in Ustilago maydis |
| Author(s): | Kretschmer M; Lambie S; Croll D; Kronstad JW; |
| Address: | "Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, CH-2000 Neuchatel, Switzerland" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1365-2958 (Electronic) 0950-382X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis causes disease on maize by mating to establish an infectious filamentous cell type that invades the host and induces tumours. We previously found that beta-oxidation mutants were defective in virulence and did not grow on acetate. Here, we demonstrate that acetate inhibits filamentation during mating and in response to oleic acid. We therefore examined the influence of different carbon sources by comparing the transcriptomes of cells grown on acetate, oleic acid or glucose, with expression changes for the fungus during tumour formation in planta. Guided by the transcriptional profiling, we found that acetate negatively influenced resistance to stress, promoted the formation of reactive oxygen species, triggered cell death in stationary phase and impaired virulence on maize. We also found that acetate induced mitochondrial stress by interfering with mitochondrial functions. Notably, the disruption of oxygen perception or inhibition of the electron transport chain also influenced filamentation and mating. Finally, we made use of the connections between acetate and beta-oxidation to test metabolic inhibitors for an influence on growth and virulence. These experiments identified diclofenac as a potential inhibitor of virulence. Overall, these findings support the possibility of targeting mitochondrial metabolic functions to control fungal pathogens" |
| Keywords: | Acetates/*pharmacology Cell Death Diclofenac/pharmacology Glucose/pharmacology Mitochondria/*metabolism Mutation/genetics Oleic Acid/pharmacology Plant Diseases/*microbiology Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism Transcriptome/drug effects Ustilago/*drug eff; |
| Notes: | "MedlineKretschmer, Matthias Lambie, Scott Croll, Daniel Kronstad, James W eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2017/12/14 Mol Microbiol. 2018 Feb; 107(4):488-507. doi: 10.1111/mmi.13894. Epub 2018 Jan 3" |
