Partial silencing of a hydroxy-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase-encoding gene in Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413 results in a lower level of resistance to lovastatin and lower antifungal activity

In the present article, we describe the cloning and characterization of the Trichoderma harzianum hmgR gene encoding a hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of terpene compounds. In T. harzianum, partial silencing of the hmgR gene gave rise to transformants wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fungal genetics and biology 2007-04, Vol.44 (4), p.269-283
Main Authors: Cardoza, Rosa Elena, Hermosa, María Rosa, Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio, González, Fran, Llobell, Antonio, Monte, Enrique, Gutiérrez, Santiago
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiosis
Antifungal activity
antifungal properties
biological control
biological control agents
biosynthesis
Cloning, Molecular
Drug Resistance, Fungal
enzyme inhibition
ergosterol
Ergosterol - metabolism
fungal antagonists
Fungal Proteins - genetics
Fusarium - physiology
Fusarium oxysporum
Gene Silencing
genes
Genes, Fungal
HMG reductase
hmgR gene
Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases - genetics
hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - pharmacology
Hypocrea lixii
lovastatin
Lovastatin - pharmacology
Lovastatin susceptibility
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
molecular cloning
Phylogeny
Rhizoctonia - physiology
Rhizoctonia solani
RNA silencing
Terpene biosynthesis
Terpenes - metabolism
Thanatephorus cucumeris
Trichoderma - drug effects
Trichoderma - physiology
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Summary:In the present article, we describe the cloning and characterization of the Trichoderma harzianum hmgR gene encoding a hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of terpene compounds. In T. harzianum, partial silencing of the hmgR gene gave rise to transformants with a higher level of sensitivity to lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of the HMGR enzyme. In addition, these hmgR-silenced transformants produced lower levels of ergosterol than the wild-type strain in a minimal medium containing lovastatin. The silenced transformants showed a decrease in hmgR gene expression (up to a 8.4-fold, after 72 h of incubation), together with an increase in the expression of erg7 (up to a 15.8-fold, after 72 h of incubation), a gene involved in the biosynthesis of triterpenes. Finally, hmgR-silenced transformants showed a reduction in their antifungal activity against the plant-pathogen fungi Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum.
ISSN:1087-1845
1096-0937
DOI:10.1016/j.fgb.2006.11.013