From the RIKEN Natural Products Depository (NPDepo) chemical library, we identified small molecules that alter trichothecene 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON) production by Fusarium graminearum. Among trichothecene production activators, a furanocoumarin NPD12671 showed the strongest stimulatory activity on 15-ADON production by the fungus cultured in a 24-well plate. NPD12671 significantly increased the transcription of Tri6, a transcription factor gene necessary for trichothecene biosynthesis, in both trichothecene-inducing and noninducing culture conditions. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) was identified as the most effective inhibitor of trichothecene production in 24-well plate culture
DHA inhibited trichothecene production (&gt
50% inhibition at 1 μM) without affecting fungal mass by suppressing Tri6 expression. To determine the effect of DHA on trichothecene pathway Tri gene expression, we generated a constitutively Tri6-overexpressing strain that produced 15-ADON in YG-60 medium in Erlenmeyer flasks, conditions under which no trichothecenes are produced by the wild-type. While 5 μM DHA failed to inhibit trichothecene biosynthesis by the overexpressor in trichothecene-inducing YS-60 culture, trichothecene production was suppressed in the YG-60 culture. Regardless of a high Tri6 transcript level in the constitutive overexpressor, the YG-60 culture showed reduced accumulation of Tri5 and Tri4 mRNA upon treatment with 5 μM DHA. Deletion mutants of FgOs2 were also generated and examined
both NPD12671 and DHA modulated trichothecene production as they did in the wild-type strain. These results are discussed in light of the mode of actions of these chemicals on trichothecene biosynthesis.