Characterisation of a flavonoid ligand of the fungal protein Alt a 1
(2016) In Scientific Reports 6.- Abstract
Spores of pathogenic fungi are virtually ubiquitous and cause human disease and severe losses in crops. The endophytic fungi Alternaria species produce host-selective phytotoxins. Alt a 1 is a strongly allergenic protein found in A. alternata that causes severe asthma. Despite the well-established pathogenicity of Alt a 1, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action and physiological function remain largely unknown. To gain insight into the role played by this protein in the pathogenicity of the fungus, we studied production of Alt a 1 and its activity in spores. We found that Alt a 1 accumulates inside spores and that its release with a ligand is pH-dependent, with optimum production in the 5.0-6.5 interval. The Alt a 1 ligand was... (More)
Spores of pathogenic fungi are virtually ubiquitous and cause human disease and severe losses in crops. The endophytic fungi Alternaria species produce host-selective phytotoxins. Alt a 1 is a strongly allergenic protein found in A. alternata that causes severe asthma. Despite the well-established pathogenicity of Alt a 1, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action and physiological function remain largely unknown. To gain insight into the role played by this protein in the pathogenicity of the fungus, we studied production of Alt a 1 and its activity in spores. We found that Alt a 1 accumulates inside spores and that its release with a ligand is pH-dependent, with optimum production in the 5.0-6.5 interval. The Alt a 1 ligand was identified as a methylated flavonoid that inhibits plant root growth and detoxifies reactive oxygen species. We also found that Alt a 1 changes its oligomerization state depending on the pH of the surrounding medium and that these changes facilitate the release of the ligand. Based on these results, we propose that release of Alt a 1 should be a pathogenic target in approaches used to block plant defenses and consequently to favor fungal entry into the plant.
(Less)
- author
- Garrido-Arandia, Mariá ; Silva-Navas, Javier ; Ramírez-Castillejo, Carmen ; Cubells-Baeza, Nuria ; Gómez-Casado, Cristina LU ; Barber, Domingo ; Pozo, Juan C. ; Melendi, Pablo G. ; Pacios, Luis F. and Diáz-Perales, Araceli
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016-09-16
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scientific Reports
- volume
- 6
- article number
- 33468
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84988010159
- pmid:27633190
- wos:000383647100001
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- DOI
- 10.1038/srep33468
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 88e67210-6a05-4e67-afa1-03cbf39da507
- date added to LUP
- 2016-11-03 10:40:23
- date last changed
- 2024-06-28 18:06:34
@article{88e67210-6a05-4e67-afa1-03cbf39da507, abstract = {{<p>Spores of pathogenic fungi are virtually ubiquitous and cause human disease and severe losses in crops. The endophytic fungi Alternaria species produce host-selective phytotoxins. Alt a 1 is a strongly allergenic protein found in A. alternata that causes severe asthma. Despite the well-established pathogenicity of Alt a 1, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action and physiological function remain largely unknown. To gain insight into the role played by this protein in the pathogenicity of the fungus, we studied production of Alt a 1 and its activity in spores. We found that Alt a 1 accumulates inside spores and that its release with a ligand is pH-dependent, with optimum production in the 5.0-6.5 interval. The Alt a 1 ligand was identified as a methylated flavonoid that inhibits plant root growth and detoxifies reactive oxygen species. We also found that Alt a 1 changes its oligomerization state depending on the pH of the surrounding medium and that these changes facilitate the release of the ligand. Based on these results, we propose that release of Alt a 1 should be a pathogenic target in approaches used to block plant defenses and consequently to favor fungal entry into the plant.</p>}}, author = {{Garrido-Arandia, Mariá and Silva-Navas, Javier and Ramírez-Castillejo, Carmen and Cubells-Baeza, Nuria and Gómez-Casado, Cristina and Barber, Domingo and Pozo, Juan C. and Melendi, Pablo G. and Pacios, Luis F. and Diáz-Perales, Araceli}}, issn = {{2045-2322}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{09}}, publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}}, series = {{Scientific Reports}}, title = {{Characterisation of a flavonoid ligand of the fungal protein Alt a 1}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep33468}}, doi = {{10.1038/srep33468}}, volume = {{6}}, year = {{2016}}, }