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Circadian clock is critical for fungal pathogenesis by regulating zinc starvation response and secondary metabolism

Qiaojia Lu1,2, Muqun Yu1, Xianyun Sun1,2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.

Science Advances
|March 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Plant Pathology
  • Chronobiology

Background:

  • Circadian clocks influence host immunity during pathogen infections.
  • The role of pathogen circadian clocks in disease development is largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of circadian clocks in Fusarium oxysporum pathogenesis.
  • To understand how fungal circadian clocks regulate infection and disease progression.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the primary circadian clock gene, Fofrq1, in F. oxysporum.
  • Analyzed the impact of clock gene disruption on fungal pathogenicity.
  • Examined the rhythmic expression of transcription factors FoZafA and FoCzf1.

Main Results:

  • F. oxysporum pathogenesis is regulated by its circadian clock, with peak infection at dawn.
  • Disrupting clock genes significantly reduces fungal pathogenicity.
  • Circadian clocks control FoZafA (zinc starvation response) and FoCzf1 (fusaric acid production).

Conclusions:

  • Circadian clocks are critical for F. oxysporum pathogenicity.
  • Clock-regulated pathways, including zinc starvation adaptation and toxin production, are key to disease development.

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