A recent study by the Innovative Team for Monitoring and Controlling Fungal Diseases of Grain Crops at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has unveiled a molecular mechanism wherein the histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation reader protein in Fusarium graminearum regulates the transcriptional repression of toxigenic genes by undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation. This research breakthrough has been published in Genome Biology.
Fusarium graminearum infects major grain crops such as corn and wheat, causing significant fungal diseases like corn ear rot, stalk rot, wheat Fusarium head blight, and stalk rot, leading to severe reductions in grain yield. Moreover, this pathogen can produce fungal toxins, posing serious threats to human and animal health. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis and regulation of toxin synthesis in Fusarium graminearum is of utmost importance for safeguarding China's food security.
The study found that the histone H3K9 methylation reader protein BP1 in Fusarium graminearum negatively regulates the transcription of genes responsible for mycotoxin synthesis. Through techniques such as dynamic localization observation in cell biology, it was discovered that the reader protein BP1 undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation, thereby mediating the recognition of histone methylation modifications and elucidating its molecular mechanism in regulating the transcriptional repression of toxigenic genes, including those involved in mycotoxin synthesis. This research provides new drug targets and theoretical support for scientifically controlling Fusarium graminearum diseases and mitigating fungal toxin contamination in a sustainable manner.
The study received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
For more information, please refer to the related paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-024-03209-7
