Unraveling the molecular mechanism of FgGcn5 inhibition by phenazine-1-carboxamide: combined in silico and in vitro studies

BACKGROUND: Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), remains a devastating disease worldwide. The histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 plays a crucial role in epigenetic regulation. Aberrant Gcn5 acetylation activity can result in serious impacts such as impaired growth and development in organisms. The secondary metabolite phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) inhibits F. graminearum by blocking the acetylation process of Gcn5 (FgGcn5), and is currently used to control FHB. However, the molecular basis of acetylation inhibition by PCN remains to be further explored. RESULTS: Our molecular dynamics simulations revealed that PCN binds to the cleft in FgGcn5 where histone H3 is bound, with key amino acid residues including Leu96 (L96), Arg121 (R121), Phe133 (F133), Tyr169 (Y169), and Tyr201 (Y201), preventing FgGcn5 from binding to histone H3 and affecting histone H3 from being acetylated. Experimental validation of key amino acid mutations further confirmed the impact of these mutations on the interaction of FgGcn5 with PCN and histone H3 peptide. CONCLUSION: In summary, our study sheds light on the mechanism by which PCN inhibits the acetylation function of FgGcn5, providing a foundation for the development of drugs or fungicides targeting histone acetyltransferases.