Virulence factors of the genus Fusarium with targets in plants

• Published in: Microbiological research Vol. 277; p. 127506
• Main Authors: Gutiérrez-Sánchez, Angélica, Plasencia, Javier, Monribot-Villanueva, Juan L., Rodríguez-Haas, Benjamín, Ruíz-May, Eliel, Guerrero-Analco, José A., Sánchez-Rangel, Diana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Effectors; Fusarium; Pathogenicity; Virulence factors; NADPH; FHB; PR; SIX; 3-ADON; PTI; SAR; HR; SA; PRR; 15-ADON; MAMP; Virulence factors; Fusarium; BEA; DON; NB-LRR; NRPS; IM; MS; IP; CWDE; MAPK; FFSC; VF; Pathogenicity; FGSC; PAMP; NMR; FB1; FLSC; JA; ROS; Effectors; FOSC; NIV; PGR; ETI; FA; NGS; Avr; FSSC; DAMP; FTSC
• ISSN: 0944-5013; 1618-0623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127506

Fusarium spp. comprise various species of filamentous fungi that cause severe diseases in plant crops of both agricultural and forestry interest. These plant pathogens produce a wide range of molecules with diverse chemical structures and biological activities. Genetic functional analyses of some of these compounds have shown their role as virulence factors (VF). However, their mode of action and contributions to the infection process for many of these molecules are still unknown. This review aims to analyze the state of the art in Fusarium VF, emphasizing their biological targets on the plant hosts. It also addresses the current experimental approaches to improve our understanding of their role in virulence and suggests relevant research questions that remain to be answered with a greater focus on species of agroeconomic importance. In this review, a total of 37 confirmed VF are described, including 22 proteinaceous and 15 non-proteinaceous molecules, mainly from Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium graminearum and, to a lesser extent, in Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium solani. •Fusarium is one of the most important agronomic phytopathogenic genera.•The most studied Fusarium species are F. graminearum, F. oxysporum, and F. verticillioides.•The thirty-seven confirmed virulence factors for the Fusarium genus include proteins and phytotoxins.•The trichothecenes are the most important toxins reported as virulence factors.