Inhibition of Methionine Biosynthesis in<i>Botrytis cinerea</i>by the Anilinopyrimidine Fungicide Pyrimethanil

Abstract

When mycelium of Botrytis cinerea was treated with low concentrations of the anilinopyrimidine fungicide pyrimethanil the total amount of free amino acids increased. Qualitative variations were also induced: alanine, glutamine, lysine, glycine, histidine, asparagine, arginine, threonine and moreover, α-aminobutyrate and β-alanine were accumulated; cyst(e)ine, valine, leucine and citrulline were reduced. When mycelium of B. cinerea was incubated with Na2[35S]O4, pyrimethanil at 1·5 μM induced a decrease of [35S]methionine and simultaneously an increase of [35S]cystathionine. These data indicate that the anilinopyrimidine fungicide pyrimethanil inhibits the biosynthesis of methionine and suggest that the primary target could be the cystathionine β-lyase. © 1997 SCI.