Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Microfluidic Tools for Probing Fungal-Microbial Interactions at the Cellular Level
Published on: June 23, 2022
Deciphering a Novel Regulatory Network of FpAP1 That Impacts Fusarium proliferatum Virulence to Plant Host
Yuean Wang1,2, Xiaoyun Ye1,2, Lihong Xie3
1State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
The mycotoxigenic Fusarium proliferatum is a common fungus and contaminates plant hosts with mycotoxin, posing serious threats to human and animal health. The conserved activator protein-1 (AP1) transcription factor is found in filamentous fungi in response to oxidative stress. However, no information is available regarding its role in regulating growth and pathogenicity of F. proliferatum on plant hosts. In this study, we characterized FpAP1 in F. proliferatum sharing a conserved DNA-binding domain of YAP family and exhibiting transcriptional activation activity. FpAP1 deletion mutant (ΔFpap1) showed higher fumonisins content but was defective in virulence to banana fruit and Nicotiana benthamiana compared to wild type. Importantly, FpAP1 regulated tolerance to reactive oxygen species and fungicide stresses, revealing a connection between stress response and virulence of F. proliferatum. DNA affinity purification sequencing and transcriptome analysis identified 393 direct target genes of FpAP1-mediated regulation. Dual-luciferase report and electrophoretic mobility shift assay highlighted a new regulatory network of FpAP1 in regulating the expression of genes associated with a diverse range of F. proliferatum growth, stress response and virulence. Our findings uncovered the FpAP1-mediated regulatory network in controlling F. proliferatum growth and virulence, which offers promising targets for effective control of Fusarium diseases and mycotoxin contamination.
Related Concept Videos
Microbe-Plant Interactions
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Cell Signaling in Plants

