Redundant and Distinct Roles of Two 14-3-3 Proteins in <i>Fusarium sacchari</i>, Pathogen of Sugarcane Pokkah Boeng Disease

<i>Fusarium sacchari</i>, a key pathogen of sugarcane, is responsible for the Pokkah boeng disease (PBD) in China. The 14-3-3 proteins have been implicated in critical developmental processes, including dimorphic transition, signal transduction, and carbon metabolism in various phytopathogenic fungi. However, their roles are poorly understood in <i>F. sacchari.</i> This study focused on the characterization of two 14-3-3 protein-encoding genes, <i>FsBmh1</i> and <i>FsBmh2</i>, within <i>F. sacchari</i>. Both genes were found to be expressed during the vegetative growth stage, yet <i>FsBmh1</i> was repressed at the sporulation stage in vitro. To elucidate the functions of these genes, the deletion mutants ΔFsBmh1 and ΔFsBmh2 were generated. The ΔFsBmh2 exhibited more pronounced phenotypic defects, such as impaired hyphal branching, septation, conidiation, spore germination, and colony growth, compared to the ΔFsBmh1. Notably, both knockout mutants showed a reduction in virulence, with transcriptome analysis revealing changes associated with the observed phenotypes. To further investigate the functional interplay between <i>FsBmh1</i> and <i>FsBmh2</i>, we constructed and analyzed mutants with combined deletion and silencing (ΔFsBmh/siFsBmh) as well as overexpression (O-FsBmh). The combinations of ΔFsBmh1/siFsBmh2 or ΔFsBmh2/siFsBmh1 displayed more severe phenotypes than those with single allele deletions, suggesting a functional redundancy between the two 14-3-3 proteins. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays identified 20 proteins with pivotal roles in primary metabolism or diverse biological functions, 12 of which interacted with both FsBmh1 and FsBmh2. Three proteins were specifically associated with FsBmh1, while five interacted exclusively with FsBmh2. In summary, this research provides novel insights into the roles of <i>FsBmh1</i> and <i>FsBmh2</i> in <i>F. sacchari</i> and highlights potential targets for PBD management through the modulation of <i>FsBmh</i> functions.