Detoxification and Excretion of Trichothecenes in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana Expressing Fusarium graminearum Trichothecene 3-O-acetyltransferase

Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), produces trichothecenes including deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), and 3,7,15-trihydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene (NX-3). These toxins contaminate grains and cause profound health problems in humans and animals. To explore exploiting a fungal self-protection mechanism in plants, we examined the ability of F. graminearum trichothecene 3-O-acetyltransferase (FgTri101) to detoxify several key trichothecenes produced by F. graminearum: DON, 15-ADON, NX-3, and NIV. FgTri101 was cloned from F. graminearum and expressed in Arabidopsis plants. We compared the phytotoxic effects of purified DON, NIV, and NX-3 on the root growth of transgenic Arabidopsis expressing FgTri101. Compared to wild type and GUS controls, FgTri101 transgenic Arabidopsis plants displayed significantly longer root length on media containing DON and NX-3. Furthermore, we confirmed that the FgTri101 transgenic plants acetylated DON to 3-ADON, 15-ADON to 3,15-diADON, and NX-3 to NX-2, but did not acetylate NIV. Approximately 90% of the converted toxins were excreted into the media. Our study indicates that transgenic Arabidopsis expressing FgTri101 can provide plant protection by detoxifying trichothecenes and excreting the acetylated toxins out of plant cells. Characterization of plant transporters involved in trichothecene efflux will provide novel targets to reduce FHB and mycotoxin contamination in economically important plant crops.