Pathogenicity and Virulence Factors of Fusarium graminearum Including Factors Discovered Using Next Generation Sequencing Technologies and Proteomics

Molemi E Rauwane; Udoka V Ogugua; Chimdi M Kalu; Lesiba K Ledwaba; Adugna A Woldesemayat; Khayalethu Ntushelo

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8020305

Pathogenicity and Virulence Factors of Fusarium graminearum Including Factors Discovered Using Next Generation Sequencing Technologies and Proteomics

Microorganisms. 2020 Feb 22;8(2):305. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8020305.

Authors

Molemi E Rauwane¹, Udoka V Ogugua¹, Chimdi M Kalu¹, Lesiba K Ledwaba^{1

2}, Adugna A Woldesemayat³, Khayalethu Ntushelo¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, Science Campus, University of South Africa, Corner Christiaan de Wet Road and Pioneer Avenue, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa.
² Agricultural Research Council-Vegetable and Ornamental Plants (ARC-VOP), Plant Breeding Division, Roodeplaat, Private Bag X293, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
³ Department of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Research Unit, College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Building Block 73, Room 106, Addis Ababa 1000, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Fusarium graminearum is a devasting mycotoxin-producing pathogen of grain crops. F. graminearum has been extensively studied to understand its pathogenicity and virulence factors. These studies gained momentum with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and proteomics. NGS and proteomics have enabled the discovery of a multitude of pathogenicity and virulence factors of F. graminearum. This current review aimed to trace progress made in discovering F. graminearum pathogenicity and virulence factors in general, as well as pathogenicity and virulence factors discovered using NGS, and to some extent, using proteomics. We present more than 100 discovered pathogenicity or virulence factors and conclude that although a multitude of pathogenicity and virulence factors have already been discovered, more work needs to be done to take advantage of NGS and its companion applications of proteomics.

Keywords: Fusarium graminearum; next-generation sequencing; pathogenicity; proteomics; virulence.

Publication types

Review