Arginine Methyltransferase PeRmtC Regulates Development and Pathogenicity of Via Mediating Key Genes in Conidiation and Secondary Metabolism

is one of the most common and destructive post-harvest fungal pathogens that can cause blue mold rot and produce mycotoxins in fruit, leading to significant post-harvest loss and food safety concerns. Arginine methylation by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) modulates various cellular processes in many eukaryotes. However, the functions of PRMTs are largely unknown in post-harvest fungal pathogens. To explore their roles in , we identified four PRMTs (PeRmtA, PeRmtB, PeRmtC, and PeRmt2). The single deletion of , , or had minor or no impact on the phenotype while deletion of resulted in decreased conidiation, delayed conidial germination, impaired pathogenicity and pigment biosynthesis, and altered tolerance to environmental stresses. Further research showed that PeRmtC could regulate two core regulatory genes, and , in conidiation, a series of backbone genes in secondary metabolism, and affect the symmetric ω-, -dimethylarginine (sDMA) modification of proteins with molecular weights of primarily 16-17 kDa. Collectively, this work functionally characterized four PRMTs in and showed the important roles of PeRmtC in the development, pathogenicity, and secondary metabolism of .