Reduction of Aspergillus niger Virulence in Apple Fruits by Deletion of the Catalase Gene cpeB

Abstract

Aspergillus niger, a common saprophytic fungus, causes rot in many fruits. We studied the role of a putative catalase-peroxidase-encoding gene, cpeB, in oxidative stress and virulence in fruit. The cpeB gene was deleted in A. niger by homologous recombination, and the Δ cpeB mutant showed decreased CAT activity compared with that of the wild type. The cpeB gene deletion caused increased sensitivity to HO stress, and spore germination was significantly reduced; in addition, the reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) metabolites superoxide anions (·O), hydrogen peroxide (HO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulated in the Δ cpeB mutant during HO stress. Furthermore, ROS metabolism in A. niger infected apples was determined, and our results showed that the Δ cpeB mutant induced an attenuated response in apple fruit during the fruit-pathogen interaction; the cpeB gene deletion significantly reduced the development of lesions, suggesting that the cpeB gene in A. niger is essential for full virulence in apples.

Antioxidant‐related catalase CTA1 regulates development, aflatoxin biosynthesis, and virulence in pathogenic fungus Aspergillus flavus

“…With the analysis of AF production, we also discovered that the virulence of seed infection in the deletion of cta1 was lower as compared with WT and ΔCTA1:CTA1 strains. Similarly, the reduction of A. niger virulence in apple fruits was attributed to the deletion of the catalase gene cpeb (Zhang et al, 2018). Thus, we can infer that the catalase CTA1 is critical for pathogenicity in A. flavus.…”

“…Over the time, cells have evolved to counteract the harmful effect of excessive H 2 O 2 accumulation. It has resulted in a myriad of antioxidant enzymes such as catalases, superoxide dismutases, peroxidases, and the glutathione and thioredoxin system (Hong et al, 2013;Martins and English, 2014;Domenech et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2018). Catalases competently scavenge the ROS such as superoxide radicals (O2•−) and H 2 O 2 , to protect the cells against the oxidative stress (Horiguchi et al, 2001;Petrova et al, 2004;Martins and English, 2014).…”

Proteome-Wide Analysis of Lysine 2-Hydroxyisobutyrylation in Aspergillus niger in Peanuts

“…Catalase-peroxidase (A0A254TYP4) is widely found in microorganisms. When the catalase-peroxidase-encoding gene is deleted, the development of lesions is significantly decreased ( Zhang et al, 2018 ). The fungal specific transcription factor domain family protein (A0A254U9C6) encoding endo-1,4-beta-xylanase, facilitates the fungal lifestyle by degrading plant cell wall polysaccharides ( Xing et al, 2013 ).…”

An Assessement of the Air Quality in Apple Warehouses : New Record of Aspergillus Europaeus, Aspergillus Pulverulentus, Penicillium Allii and Penicllium Sumatraense as Decay Agents

“…Aspergillus niger is most commonly found on decaying vegetation or soil and plants (Schuster et al 2002). It causes rot in many fruits including apples (Liu et al 2017;Zhang et al 2018). Aspergillus avus is a common constituent of airborne myco ora.…”