Co-cultivation of Schizosaccharomyces japonicus-Fusarium graminearum revealed the biocontrol effect of the yeast and the Fusarium-induced transcriptomic changes

The growth control of Fusarium species and modification of their harmful mycotoxins are of paramount importance. In this study, we used an in silico approach to find yeast species containing trichothecene-3-O-acetyltransferase homologous genes. Many species, including S. japonicus, whose genome contained seven copies of a gene putatively coding for such enzyme, were identified. Several of these paralogous genes could be induced by deoxynivalenol (DON). Toxin tolerance tests also revealed that S. japonicus had a stronger DON tolerance than the closely related S. pombe, whose genome did not contain such a gene. Growth and metabolome analysis showed that S. japonicus was able to inhibit F. graminearum and thus reduce the mycotoxin concentration of supernatant in the co-culture. The transcriptomic analysis of the yeast cells highlighted that several transport and membrane-associated genes, and genes putatively encoding oxidoreductases, transferases, or hydrolases had altered mRNA levels after co-culturing with F. graminearum. Although the exact role of these genes requires further investigation, our data can contribute to a better understanding of the mycotoxin-caused molecular changes and the identification of potential genes involved in defense and biological detoxification. Overall design: To investigate the changes in gene expression in Schizosaccharomyces japonicus during co-cultivation with Fusarium graminearum using RNA sequencing. Samples: Control S. japonicus (SJG - S. japonicus control) Co-cultured S. japonicus with F. graminearum (FgSj - S. japonicus co-cultured) Each samples have 3 technical replicates. Control Groups: S. japonicus was grown in MXGB media. Co-cultivation Groups: S. japonicus and F. graminearum were grown together to assess the impact of co-cultivation on gene expression.