title: Patulin is a cultivar-dependent aggressiveness factor favouring the colonization of apples by Penicillium expansum.
abstract: The blue mould decay of apples is caused by Penicillium expansum and is associated with contamination by patulin, a worldwide regulated mycotoxin. Recently, a cluster of 15 genes (patA-patO) involved in patulin biosynthesis was identified in P. expansum. blast analysis revealed that patL encodes a Cys6 zinc finger regulatory factor. The deletion of patL caused a drastic decrease in the expression of all pat genes, leading to an absence of patulin production. Pathogenicity studies performed on 13 apple varieties indicated that the PeΔpatL strain could still infect apples, but the intensity of symptoms was weaker compared with the wild-type strain. A lower growth rate was observed in the PeΔpatL strain when this strain was grown on nine of the 13 apple varieties tested. In the complemented PeΔpatL:patL strain, the ability to grow normally in apple and the production of patulin were restored. Our results clearly demonstrate that patulin is not indispensable in the initiation of the disease, but acts as a cultivar-dependent aggressiveness factor for P. expansum. This conclusion was strengthened by the fact that the addition of patulin to apple infected by the PeΔpatL mutant restored the normal fungal colonization in apple.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Selma P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Snini
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.|Université Saint-Joseph, Centre d'Analyses et de Recherches (Faculté des Sciences), Campus des Sciences et Technologies, Mar Roukos, Mkallès, PO Box 11-514 Riad El Solh, Beyrouth, 1107 2050, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tannous
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heuillard
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Sylviane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailly
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR1264 - MycSA, CS20032, F-33883, Villenave d'Ornon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zehraoui
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR1264 - MycSA, CS20032, F-33883, Villenave d'Ornon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barreau
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1331, Toxalim, Research Centre in Food Toxicology, 180 Chemin de Tournefeuille, F-31027, Toulouse Cedex, France.|Université de Toulouse III, ENVT, INP, UMR 1331, Toxalim, F-31076, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Puel
mesh_terms: D017353:Gene Deletion; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D027845:Malus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010365:Patulin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D010365:Patulin
keywords: Penicillium expansum; aggressiveness factor; apples; mycotoxin; patulin; post-harvest disease