Ubiquitination of acetyltransferase Gcn5 contributes to fungal virulence in Fusarium graminearum

ABSTRACT The histone acetyltransferase general control non-depressible 5 (Gcn5) plays a critical role in the epigenetic landscape and chromatin modification for regulating a wide variety of biological events. However, the post-translational regulation of Gcn5 itself is poorly understood. Here, we found that Gcn5 was ubiquitinated and deubiquitinated by E3 ligase Tom1 and deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp14, respectively, in the important plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum. Tom1 interacted with Gcn5 in the nucleus and subsequently ubiquitinated Gcn5 mainly at K252 to accelerate protein degradation. Conversely, Ubp14 deubiquitinated Gcn5 and enhanced its stability. In the deletion mutant Δubp14, protein level of Gcn5 was significantly reduced and resulted in attenuated virulence in the fungus by affecting the mycotoxin production, autophagy process, and the penetration ability. Our findings indicate that Tom1 and Ubp14 show antagonistic functions in the control of the protein stability of Gcn5 via post-translational modification and highlight the importance of Tom1-Gcn5-Ubp14 circuit in the fungal virulence. IMPORTANCE Post-translational modification (PTM) enzymes have been reported to be involved in regulating numerous cellular processes. However, the modification of these PTM enzymes themselves is largely unknown. In this study, we found that the E3 ligase Tom1 and deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp14 contributed to the regulation of ubiquitination and deubiquitination of acetyltransferase Gcn5, respectively, in Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight of cereals. Our findings provide deep insights into the modification of acetyltransferase Gcn5 and its dynamic regulation via ubiquitination and deubiquitination. To our knowledge, this work is the most comprehensive analysis of a regulatory network of ubiquitination that impinges on acetyltransferase in filamentous pathogens. Moreover, our findings are important because we present the novel roles of the Tom1-Gcn5-Ubp14 circuit in fungal virulence, providing novel possibilities and targets to control fungal diseases.