High-throughput functional genomics and transcriptomics reveal molecular mechanisms regulating the synergistic fungicidal activity of copper and zinc
- 1Cornell University
Abstract
Fungal diseases cause devastating crop infestations and millions of deaths annually. To improve disease treatment development, we must understand the biological processes these treatments target and the fungal cellular responses they elicit. Current methods to identify genetic responses of fungi to antifungal drugs and fungicides typically involve laborious molecular genetics experiments or transcriptomics. We utilized high-throughput screens in the basidiomycete yeast Rhodotorula (Rhodosporidium) toruloides to rapidly identify genes associated with the fungal response to a copper-zinc fungicide developed by VM Agritech and compared identified genes to those transcriptionally activated in response to the fungicide in R. toruloides and the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora crassa. These 'omics technologies combined with molecular genetics and biochemical analyses showed copper and zinc synergize to inhibit fungal growth due, at least in part, to an increase in cellular zinc concentrations when copper is present. Intriguingly, although we identified genes involved in the copper-zinc fungicide response using both high-throughput screens and transcriptomics, there was little overlap in genes identified through the two methods. Our findings demonstrate the power of combining functional genomics and transcriptomics approaches in identifying a more comprehensive map of the genetic mechanisms necessary for responding to fungicides.
Related
- High-throughput genetic interaction analysis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis identifies highly synergistic drug targets
- Potential mechanisms of Bifidobacterium-mediated synergistic antibiotic eradication of drug-resistant Helicobacter pylori
- Integrated Transcriptomics and Histological Analysis Reveals Gill Adaptation Mechanisms to Hypoxic Stress in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
- Kinesin motor proteins as host factors regulating viral infection: Mechanisms of exploitation, emerging paradigms, and therapeutic horizons.
- Natural and planted forests differ in the mechanisms regulating productivity and stability
BibTeX
@misc{kerkaert2026highthroughput,
title = {{High-throughput functional genomics and transcriptomics reveal molecular mechanisms regulating the synergistic fungicidal activity of copper and zinc}},
author = {J. D. Kerkaert and R. Carvalho and R. E. Schnirman and C. X. Y. Wu and B. Reyes-Chavez and Y. Zhang and M. K. A. Koker and L. M. Smieska and L. B. Huberman},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.02.756351},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.02.756351v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - High-throughput functional genomics and transcriptomics reveal molecular mechanisms regulating the synergistic fungicidal activity of copper and zinc
AU - J. D. Kerkaert
AU - R. Carvalho
AU - R. E. Schnirman
AU - C. X. Y. Wu
AU - B. Reyes-Chavez
AU - Y. Zhang
AU - M. K. A. Koker
AU - L. M. Smieska
AU - L. B. Huberman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.02.756351
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.02.756351v1
AB - Fungal diseases cause devastating crop infestations and millions of deaths annually. To improve disease treatment development, we must understand the biological processes these treatments target and the fungal cellular responses they elicit. Current methods to identify genetic responses of fungi to antifungal drugs and fungicides typically involve laborious molecular genetics experiments or transcriptomics. We utilized high-throughput screens in the basidiomycete yeast Rhodotorula (Rhodosporidium) toruloides to rapidly identify genes associated with the fungal response to a copper-zinc fungicide developed by VM Agritech and compared identified genes to those transcriptionally activated in response to the fungicide in R. toruloides and the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora crassa. These 'omics technologies combined with molecular genetics and biochemical analyses showed copper and zinc synergize to inhibit fungal growth due, at least in part, to an increase in cellular zinc concentrations when copper is present. Intriguingly, although we identified genes involved in the copper-zinc fungicide response using both high-throughput screens and transcriptomics, there was little overlap in genes identified through the two methods. Our findings demonstrate the power of combining functional genomics and transcriptomics approaches in identifying a more comprehensive map of the genetic mechanisms necessary for responding to fungicides.
ER -