ΔFW-NPS6-Dependent Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Putative Pathogenicity Genes in Fusarium oxysporum

TL;DR

This study identifies genes regulated by NPS6 in a fungal pathogen that causes watermelon wilt, offering new targets for disease control.

Contribution

The paper reveals NPS6-dependent genes and pathways in Fusarium oxysporum, providing novel molecular targets for controlling the disease.

Findings

66 NPS6-dependent differentially expressed genes were identified through RNA sequencing.

These genes are linked to secondary metabolite biosynthesis and pathogen–host interactions.

Key pathogenic pathways, such as siderophore biosynthesis, were highlighted as potential intervention points.

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum is an increasingly threatening fungal pathogen that systemically colonizes watermelon plants and severely compromises their productivity by causing destructive vascular wilt disease. While its nonribosomal peptide synthetase NPS6 has been identified as a key virulence factor, the regulatory mechanisms through which it controls downstream gene networks to cause disease remain unclear. To elucidate this regulatory pathway, we constructed a ΔFW-NPS6 knockout mutant and conducted a comparative genome-wide analysis using RNA sequencing, with the wild-type strain as a control. The results revealed 66 NPS6-dependent differentially expressed genes, which were primarily associated with secondary-metabolite biosynthesis (e.g., genes encoding nonribosomal peptide synthetases like NPS2) and pathogen–host interactions (e.g., components of the MAPK signaling pathway), and were enriched in key pathogenic pathways. This finding reveals the virulence regulatory network mediated by NPS6, providing a direct theoretical foundation and crucial molecular targets for developing novel control strategies, such as targeted fungicides or genetic interventions, against Fusarium wilt in watermelon by highlighting NPS6 itself as a potential fungicide target and its downstream pathways (e.g., siderophore biosynthesis) as points for intervention.

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