Combinatorial function of velvet and AreA in transcriptional regulation of nitrate utilization and secondary metabolism

•The velvet complex is required for utilization of nitrate by Fusarium oxysporum.•Velvet promotes chromatin remodelling and transcription of nitrate reductase gene.•The GATA factor AreA regulates transcription of siderophore and mycotoxin genes.•Velvet and AreA exert combinatorial control of nitrate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fungal genetics and biology 2014-01, Vol.62, p.78-84
Main Authors: López-Berges, Manuel S., Schäfer, Katja, Hera, Concepción, Di Pietro, Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chromatin - metabolism
Fungal Proteins - genetics
Fungal Proteins - metabolism
Fusarium - metabolism
Fusarium oxysporum
GATA factor
Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
Multigene Family
Mycotoxins - genetics
Mycotoxins - metabolism
Nitrate utilization
Nitrates - metabolism
Secondary Metabolism
Siderophore
Siderophores - genetics
Siderophores - metabolism
Virulence
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Summary:•The velvet complex is required for utilization of nitrate by Fusarium oxysporum.•Velvet promotes chromatin remodelling and transcription of nitrate reductase gene.•The GATA factor AreA regulates transcription of siderophore and mycotoxin genes.•Velvet and AreA exert combinatorial control of nitrate utilization and secondary metabolism. Velvet is a conserved protein complex that functions as a regulator of fungal development and secondary metabolism. In the soil-inhabiting pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, velvet governs mycotoxin production and virulence on plant and mammalian hosts. Here we report a previously unrecognized role of the velvet complex in regulation of nitrate metabolism. F. oxysporum mutants lacking VeA or LaeA, two key components of the complex, were impaired in growth on the non-preferred nitrogen sources nitrate and nitrite. Both velvet and the general nitrogen response GATA factor AreA were required for transcriptional activation of nitrate (nit1) and nitrite (nii1) reductase genes under de-repressing conditions, as well as for the nitrate-triggered increase in chromatin accessibility at the nit1 locus. AreA also contributed to chromatin accessibility and expression of two velvet-regulated gene clusters, encoding biosynthesis of the mycotoxin beauvericin and of the siderophore ferricrocin. Thus, velvet and AreA coordinately orchestrate primary and secondary metabolism as well as virulence functions in F. oxysporum.
ISSN:1087-1845
1096-0937
DOI:10.1016/j.fgb.2013.11.002