Virulence of Fusarium oxysporum TR4 Linked to Accessory Genes Controlling Nitric Oxide Biosynthesis
AGRICULTURE
8/23/2024
The Cavendish banana, one of the most widely exported and consumed types of bananas in the world, is now facing extinction due to Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4). A study published in Nature Microbiology in August 2024 by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst revealed that Foc TR4 did not evolve from the strain that devastated Gros Michel bananas in the 1950s. Using meta-transcriptomic methods, the researchers found that the virulence of Foc TR4 is triggered by accessory genes linked to nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis. Although the exact role of these genes is not yet fully understood, removing two genes that control nitric oxide biosynthesis significantly reduced the virulence of Foc TR4. This discovery offers new hope for controlling Foc TR4, which remains a major challenge today. However, the practice of monoculture in Cavendish banana farming continues to be a significant obstacle to effective pathogen control.
