Abstract:
Investigating the regulatory mechanism of bHLH-type transcription factor AfldevR on cell development and aflatoxin B
1 (AFB
1) biosynthesis in
Aspergillus flavus can provide novel potential targets for preventing and controlling
A. flavus growth and AFB
1 contamination during grain storage. Using
AfldevR gene deletion (Δ
AfldevR) and complementation strains (Δ
AfldevR-com) as research subjects, the effects of
AfldevR deletion on colony growth and sporulation of
A. flavus were characterized by plate culture, section and stereomicroscopy observation. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were employed to measure AFB
1 content. The influence of
AfldevR gene deletion on the expression levels of genes involved in AFB
1 biosynthesis pathway was also explored. PI and DAPI fluorescent dyes were used to detect the integrity of
AfldevR cell membrane and nuclei, respectively. The pathogenicity of Δ
AfldevR strain was determined using peanut kernel and corn meal as culture substrates. The results indicated that compared with the control strains,
AfldevR gene deletion significantly inhibited the growth rate and spore production of
A. flavus, damaged the cell nuclei, and increased cell membrane permeability. The amount of AFB
1 biosynthesis decreased significantly, and the transcriptional levels of
aflR, aflA, aflC and
aflE were significantly down-regulated. Additionally
AfldevR gene deletion strain was more sensitive to oxidative stress, and the growth inhibition rates of the control strain and Δ
AfldevR strain treated with 20 mmol/L H
2O
2 were 31.09% and 100%, respectively. Compared with wild-type and complementation strains, AFB
1 yield of Δ
AfldevR strain was significantly reduced on peanuts, but showed no significant difference on corn meal. In summary, the
AfldevR gene positively regulates the growth of
A. flavus, the transcription levels of genes involved in AFB
1 biosynthesis, AFB
1 production and tolerance to oxidative stress. This study provides a theoretical support for the development of fungicides targeting AfldevR in
A. flavus.