A CRISPR-Cas9 System for Genome Editing of Fusarium proliferatum

Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 27;9(1):19836. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56270-9.

Abstract

Fusarium proliferatum causes diverse diseases of many economically important plants. The fungus produces several mycotoxins of which the fumonisins are the most toxic. Currently, deletion of key genes for mycotoxin biosynthesis is a laborious and time-consuming procedure. We developed a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-editing tool for the direct delivery of preassembled Cas9 ribonucleoproteins into protoplasts of F. proliferatum. Our CRISPR-Cas9 system couples a site-specific double-strand DNA break mediated by two Cas9 ribonucleoproteins with microhomology recombination requiring only 50-bp regions flanking the target gene. This system reduces the risk of off-target mutations and minimizes the risk of altering any gene adjacent to the target region. We used this tool to delete a polyketide synthase gene (FUM1) required for fumonisin biosynthesis. The mutants generated are no longer able to produce fumonisins, confirming the key role of FUM1 in fumonisin biosynthesis. Our CRISPR-Cas9 system is an important new tool for genetic studies of Fusarium.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • CRISPR-Cas Systems*
  • Fumonisins / metabolism*
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • Fusarium / genetics*
  • Fusarium / metabolism
  • Gene Deletion
  • Gene Editing / methods*
  • Mutation
  • Polyketide Synthases / genetics
  • Polyketide Synthases / metabolism
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Fumonisins
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Polyketide Synthases