Endocytic FgEde1 regulates virulence and autophagy in Fusarium graminearum

•FgEde1 deletion causes reduced hyphal growth and conidiation.•FgEde1 is essential for full virulence.•FgEde1 deletion mutant shows tolerance to various stresses.•FgEde1 deletion displays the aggravated autophagy. Endocytosis plays critical roles in cellular processes, including nutrient uptake and signal transduction. Ede1 is an endocytic scaffolding protein that contributes to endocytic site initiation and maturation in yeast. However, the functions of Ede1 in phytopathogenic fungi are not known. Here, we identified functions of FgEde1 (FGSG_05182) in Fusarium graminearum. Deletion of FgEde1 resulted in defects in hyphal growth, conidiation and ascospore development. The FgEde1 deletion mutant showed reduced deoxynivalenol (DON) production and virulence in wheat. Furthermore, the FgEde1 deletion mutant also exhibited increased resistance to osmotic and oxidative stress as well as cell-wall perturbing agents. Importantly, deletion of FgEde1 increased the severity of autophagy in hyphae. Taken together, these results reveal that FgEde1 is involved in hyphal growth, asexual and sexual reproduction, virulence, stress responses, and autophagy in F. graminearum.