Author(s): Mendes, Filipa ; Vieira, Tatiana F. ; Pereira, Cátia Sofia Santos ; Pinto, Mélanie Martins ; Castro, Bruno B. ; Sousa, Sérgio F. ; Sousa, Maria João ; Devin, Anne ; Chaves, Susana R.
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/86290
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Cymoxanil is a synthetic acetamide fungicide, used against oomycetes. It was first introduced in 1977 and can be used against downy mildew diseases induced by Plasmopara viticola in grapevine cultures and late blight diseases caused by Phytophthora infestans, in tomatoes and potatoes cultures. This fungicide is used in mixed formulations and its higher solubility enables a relatively widespread occurrence in toxic concentrations in aquatic environments. Although it has been used over the years, its biochemical mode of action is not yet known. Some studies reported that cymoxanil affects growth, respiration, DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and RNA polymerase activity of Phytophthora infestans, and it was reported to inhibit cell growth and biomass production and decrease the respiration rate of S. cerevisiae. Using yeast S. cerevisiae as model, we further characterized its effect on mitochondria. We found that whole cells treated with cymoxanil present a higher inhibition of oxygen consumption after 3 h of treatment that remains over time. Using isolated mitochondria, we observe that cymoxanil inhibits respiratory rate of yeast cells by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation, through inhibition of complex IV activity. Although other targets cannot be excluded, our data provide new information about mode of action of cymoxanil that can be instrumental to drive informed management regarding the use of this fungicide.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
