Inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis by triadimenol in Ustilago avenae

In Ustilago avenae sporidia, following the first doubling period of about 4 h, triadimenol (2 μg ml^?1) affected sporidial multiplication more severely than other growth processes; daughter cells failed to separate from the parent sporidia resulting in chains of interconnected cells. Triadimenol incubated with the fungus for 8 h interfered neither with respiration nor with protein and nucleic acid synthesis but after 6 h the toxicant had induced a higher content of free fatty acids. Triadimenol markedly altered, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the sterols in sporidia of U. avenae. Incorporation of ¹⁴C]acetate (in the form of sodium acetate) into lipid fractions for a period of 2 h revealed that the toxicant powerfully inhibited the synthesis of the 4-demethyl sterol fraction (predominantly ergosterol), whilst the 4,4-dimethyl sterol fraction rapidly accumulated. This was confirmed by g.1.c. analysis of the sterols after 6 and 8 h incubation which showed that the amount of ergosterol, the major sterol in untreated sporidia, was diminished while simultaneously 4,4-dimethyl, 4-methyl and 14-methyl sterols increased. The accumulation of 14-methyl sterols suggests that triadimenol acts as a potent inhibitor of one of the metabolic steps involved in the demethylation at the 14-position during ergosterol biosynthesis.