Molecular characterization of the PR-toxin gene cluster in Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium chrysogenum: Cross talk of secondary metabolite pathways

Autor: Olimpio Montero, Juan-Francisco Martín, Marta Fernández-Aguado, María Ángeles Fernández-Bodega, Carlos García-Estrada, Pedro I. Hidalgo, Ricardo V. Ullán, Silvia M. Albillos
Přispěvatelé: European Commission, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación (España)
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
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ISSN: 1087-1845
DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2013.10.009
Popis: et al.
The PR-toxin is a potent mycotoxin produced by Penicillium roqueforti in moulded grains and grass silages and may contaminate blue-veined cheese. The PR-toxin derives from the 15 carbon atoms sesquiterpene aristolochene formed by the aristolochene synthase (encoded by ari1). We have cloned and sequenced a four gene cluster that includes the ari1 gene from P. roqueforti. Gene silencing of each of the four genes (named prx1 to prx4) resulted in a reduction of 65-75% in the production of PR-toxin indicating that the four genes encode enzymes involved in PR-toxin biosynthesis. Interestingly the four silenced mutants overproduce large amounts of mycophenolic acid, an antitumor compound formed by an unrelated pathway suggesting a cross-talk of PR-toxin and mycophenolic acid production. An eleven gene cluster that includes the above mentioned four prx genes and a 14-TMS drug/H+ antiporter was found in the genome of Penicillium chrysogenum. This eleven gene cluster has been reported to be very poorly expressed in a transcriptomic study of P. chrysogenum genes under conditions of penicillin production (strongly aerated cultures). We found that this apparently silent gene cluster is able to produce PR-toxin in P. chrysogenum under static culture conditions on hydrated rice medium. Noteworthily, the production of PR-toxin was 2.6-fold higher in P. chrysogenum npe10, a strain deleted in the 56.8kb amplifiable region containing the pen gene cluster, than in the parental strain Wisconsin 54-1255 providing another example of cross-talk between secondary metabolite pathways in this fungus. A detailed PR-toxin biosynthesis pathway is proposed based on all available evidence. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
This work was supported by a Grant of the European Union (EUROFUNGBASE, LSSG-CT-2005-018964). Pedro Hidalgo received a fellowship from the AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo).
Databáze: OpenAIRE