AUTHOR=Geng Qi , Li Huan , Wang Dan , Sheng Ruo-Cheng , Zhu He , Klosterman Steven J. , Subbarao Krishna V. , Chen Jie-Yin , Chen Feng-Mao , Zhang Dan-Dan 

TITLE=The Verticillium dahliae Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase Complex Subunit Ada1 Is Essential for Conidia and Microsclerotia Production and Contributes to Virulence

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.852571

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.852571

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Verticillium dahliae</italic> is a destructive soil-borne pathogen of many economically important dicots. The genetics of pathogenesis in <italic>V. dahliae</italic> has been extensively studied. Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase complex (SAGA) is an ATP-independent multifunctional chromatin remodeling complex that contributes to diverse transcriptional regulatory functions. As members of the core module in the SAGA complex in <italic>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</italic>, Ada1, together with Spt7 and Spt20, play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the complex. In this study, we identified homologs of the SAGA complex in <italic>V. dahliae</italic> and found that deletion of the <italic>Ada1</italic> subunit (<italic>VdAda1</italic>) causes severe defects in the formation of conidia and microsclerotia, and in melanin biosynthesis and virulence. The effect of VdAda1 on histone acetylation in <italic>V. dahliae</italic> was confirmed by western blot analysis. The deletion of <italic>VdAda1</italic> resulted in genome-wide alteration of the <italic>V. dahliae</italic> transcriptome, including genes encoding transcription factors and secreted proteins, suggesting its prominent role in the regulation of transcription and virulence. Overall, we demonstrated that VdAda1, a member of the SAGA complex, modulates multiple physiological processes by regulating global gene expression that impinge on virulence and survival in <italic>V. dahliae</italic>.</p>