Nucleoside Derivatives Target Magnaporthe oryzae Appressoria Function and Nucleotide Metabolism for Fungal Disease Control

Novel fungicides are crucial for managing plant diseases. Magnaporthe oryzae, a major threat to global rice
production, serves as a model plant pathogen. Nucleoside compounds,
known for their low toxicity and unique mechanisms, show potential
for controlling plant pathogenic fungi but remain underexplored. In
this study, we evaluated the antifungal effects of nucleoside-derived
compounds on M. oryzae, focusing on
their impact on appressorium formation, turgor pressure, and pathogenicity.
These compounds significantly reduced M. oryzae virulence by inhibiting appressorium function and affecting glycogen
and lipid metabolism. They also altered cAMP levels and disrupted
cell cycle progression, autophagy, and peroxisome division, impacting
nucleotide metabolism with APT1 and XPT1 as potential targets. Additionally,
these inhibitors demonstrated broad-spectrum antifungal activity and
synergistic effects with isoprothiolane. Our findings suggest that
nucleoside-derived compounds are effective antifungal agents with
broad application prospects in plant disease control.