H3K4 trimethylation by CclA regulates pathogenicity and the production of three families of terpenoid secondary metabolites in Colletotrichum higginsianum. (29th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dallery, Jean‐Félix; Adelin, Émilie; Le Goff, Géraldine; Pigné, Sandrine; Auger, Annie; Ouazzani, Jamal; O'Connell, Richard J.
• Is Part Of: Molecular plant pathology. Volume 20:Number 6(2019)
• Page Start: 831
• Page End: 842
• Publication Date: 2019-03-29
• Subjects: colletochlorin -- Colletotrichum -- COMPASS -- higginsianin -- histone methylation -- pathogenicity -- sclerosporide; Plant diseases -- Molecular aspects -- Periodicals; Plant-pathogen relationships -- Molecular aspects -- Periodicals; 571.936
• DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12795
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1464-6722

Abstract

Summary: The role of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation is poorly understood in plant pathogenic fungi. Here, we analysed the function of CclA, a subunit of the COMPASS complex mediating H3K4 methylation, in the brassica anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum . We show that CclA is required for full genome‐wide H3K4 trimethylation. The deletion of cclA strongly reduced mycelial growth, asexual sporulation and spore germination but did not impair the morphogenesis of specialized infection structures (appressoria and biotrophic hyphae). Virulence of the Δ cclA mutant on plants was strongly attenuated, associated with a marked reduction in appressorial penetration ability on both plants and inert cellophane membranes. The secondary metabolite profile of the Δ cclA mutant was greatly enriched compared to that of the wild type, with three different families of terpenoid compounds being overproduced by the mutant, namely the colletochlorins, higginsianins and sclerosporide. These included five novel molecules that were produced exclusively by the Δ cclA mutant: colletorin D, colletorin D acid, higginsianin C, 13‐ epi ‐higginsianin C and sclerosporide. Taken together, our findings indicate that H3K4 trimethylation plays a critical role in regulating fungal growth, development, pathogenicity and secondary metabolism in C. higginsianum .