AUTHOR=Nugent Brian , Ali Shahin S. , Mullins Ewen , Doohan Fiona M. 

TITLE=A Major Facilitator Superfamily Peptide Transporter From Fusarium oxysporum Influences Bioethanol Production From Lignocellulosic Material

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00295

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00295

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Fusarium oxysporum</italic> is a leading microbial agent in the emerging consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) industry owing to its capability to infiltrate the plant’s lignin barrier and degrade complex carbohydrates to value-added chemicals such as bioethanol in a single step. Membrane transport of nutrients is a key factor in successful microbial colonization of host tissue. This study assessed the impact of a peptide transporter on <italic>F. oxysporum’s</italic> ability to convert lignocellulosic straw to ethanol. We characterized a novel <italic>F. oxysporum</italic> peptide transporter (<italic>FoPTR2</italic>) of the dipeptide/tripeptide transporter (PTR) class. <italic>FoPTR2</italic> represents a novel transporter with high homology to the <italic>Trichoderma sp.</italic> peptide transporters <italic>ThPTR2</italic> and <italic>TrEST-AO793</italic>. Its expression level was highly activated in nitrogen-poor environments, which is a characteristic of PTR class peptide transporters. Overexpression and post-translational gene silencing of the <italic>FoPTR2</italic> in <italic>F. oxysporum</italic> affected the peptide transport capacity and ethanol yielded from a both a wheat straw/bran mix and glucose. Thus, we conclude that it <italic>FoPTR2</italic> plays a role in the nutrient acquisition system of <italic>F. oxysporum</italic> which serves to not only enhance fungal fitness but also CBP efficacy.</p>