FgGET3, an ATPase of the GET Pathway, Is Important for the Development and Virulence of Fusarium graminearum

GET3 is an ATPase protein that plays a pivotal role in the guided entry of the tail-anchored (GET) pathway. The protein facilitates the targeting and inserting of tail-anchored (TA) proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by interacting with a receptor protein complex on the ER. The role of GET3 in various biological processes has been established in yeast, plants, and mammals but not in filamentous fungi. <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> is the major causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), posing a threat to the yield and quality of wheat. In this study, we found that FgGET3 exhibits a high degree of sequence and structural conservation with its homologs across a wide range of organisms. Ectopic expression of <i>FgGET3</i> in yeast restored the growth defects of the <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae ScGET3</i> knock-out mutant. Furthermore, FgGET3 was found to dimerize and localize to the cytoplasm, similar to its homologs in other species. Deletion of <i>FgGET3</i> in <i>F. graminearum</i> results in decreased fungal growth, fragmented vacuoles, altered abiotic stress responses, reduced conidia production, delayed conidial germination, weakened virulence on wheat spikes and reduced DON production. Collectively, these findings underscore the critical role of <i>FgGET3</i> in regulating diverse cellular and biological functions essential for the growth and virulence of <i>F. graminearum</i>.