Fusarium graminearum pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (FgPDK1) Is Critical for Conidiation, Mycelium Growth, and Pathogenicity.

ABSTRACT: Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) is an important mitochondrial enzyme that blocks the production of acetyl-CoA by selectively inhibiting the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) through phosphorylation. PDK is an effectively therapeutic target in cancer cells, but the physiological roles of PDK in phytopathogens are largely unknown. To address these gaps, a PDK gene (FgPDK1) was isolated from Fusarium graminearum that is an economically important pathogen infecting cereals. The deletion of FgPDK1 in F. graminearum resulted in the increase in PDH activity, coinciding with several phenotypic defects, such as growth retardation, failure in perithecia and conidia production, and increase in pigment formation. The ΔFgPDK1 mutants showed enhanced sensitivity to osmotic stress and cell mem

SUBMITTER: Gao T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4920349 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature