Phenazine-1-Carboxamide Regulates Pyruvate Dehydrogenase of Phytopathogenic Fungi to Control Tea Leaf Spot Caused by <i>Didymella segeticola</i>

Due to a lack of understanding of the disease epidemiology and comprehensive control measures, tea leaf spot caused by <i>Didymella segeticola</i> has a significant negative impact on tea yield and quality in the tea plantations of Southwest China. Phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) is a phenazine compound derived from <i>Pseudomonas</i> species that exhibits antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. However, its inhibitory mechanism is not yet clear. The current study evaluated the inhibitory activity of PCN against various phytopathogenic fungi and found that PCN has inhibitory activity against multiple pathogens, with a half-maximal effective concentration value for <i>D. segeticola</i> of 16.11 μg/ml in vitro and a maximum in-vivo curative activity of 72.28% toward tea leaf spot. Morphological changes in the hyphae after exposure to PCN were observed through microstructure and ultrastructure analysis and indicated that PCN causes abnormalities in the hyphae, such as cytoplasmic coagulation, shortened hyphal inter-septum distances, and unclear boundaries of organelles. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that PCN upregulated the expression of genes related to energy metabolism. PCN significantly reduced the ATP concentration in the hyphae and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Molecular docking analysis indicated that PCN binds to one of the candidate target proteins, pyruvate dehydrogenase, with lower free energy of -10.7 kcal/mol. This study indicated that PCN can interfere with energy metabolism, reducing ATP generation and ultimately affecting hyphal growth. Overall, PCN shows potential for future application in the control of tea leaf spot due to its excellent antifungal activity and unique mode of action.