Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches reveal the antifungal mechanism of methyl ferulate against Alternaria alternate

Methyl ferulate (MF) exhibited outstanding inhibitory activity against Alternaria alternata, while the specific target and molecular mechanism have not been explored based on omics technology. This study aims to reveal the regulatory molecular mechanism of A. alternata in response to MF by integrating transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome approaches. The results showed that after 200 mg L-1 MF treatment of A. alternata, a total of 909 up-regulated genes, 964 down-regulated genes, 302 up-regulated proteins, and 83 down-regulated proteins were detected. According to bioinformatics analysis, the genes and proteins associated with cell membrane lipid metabolism (including sphingolipid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and ether lipid metabolism) were significantly promoted, while genes involved in DNA replication and repair of genetic information processing (including base excision repair and homologous recombination) were notably inhibited. Furthermore, two detoxification-related pathways, ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters and glutathione metabolism, were also induced. In summary, our results confirmed that the mycelial growth of A. alternata was remarkably suppressed by MF via destroying the cell membrane structure, interfering with membrane lipid metabolism, promoting sphingolipids synthesis, disturbing genetic information processing, and impeding DNA replication and repair. This study proposed the antifungal mechanism of MF against A. alternata at the molecular level and provided a theoretical reference for MF as a new natural antifungal agent applying to the control of postharvest pathogene in fruit and vegetables.