Fusarium Mycotoxins: Chemistry, Genetics and Biology

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 3221

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Plant Pathologist, USDA, ARS, USNPRC, TMRU, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: plant pathology; fungal biology; genetics; molecular biology; mycotoxin research; biological control; poultry science; climate science

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Guest Editor
Research Chemist USDA ARS NCAUR, MPAMRU, Peoria, IL, USA
Interests: mycotoxins; mycotoxin biosynthesis; mycotoxin genes; trichothecenes; detoxification of mycotoxins; plant and fungal natural product chemistry; secondary metabolism; Fusarium
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Guest Editor
Research Plant Pathologist and Research Leader, USDA, ARS, USNPRC, TMRU, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: mycotoxins; secondary metabolism; fungal physiology; plant pathology; evolution; molecular biology

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Guest Editor
Microbiologist, USDA ARS NCAUR, MPAMRU, Peoria, IL, USA
Interests: Fusarium diversity; pathogenicity; phylogenetics; mycotoxins; genomics; host response

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
Interests: mycotoxins; host response; host resistance; RNAi; meiosis; fusarium; barley; genomics; microbiome

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Guest Editor
Microbiologist, USDA ARS USNPRC, TMRU, Athens, GA, USA
Interests: gene regulation; microbial interactions; secondary metabolism; mycotoxins; Fusarium verticillioides; Aspergillus flavus; biocontrol

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi in the genus Fusarium are renowned for the mycotoxins they produce and the deleterious effects those toxins cause in agriculture, industry, and human health. While fumonisin, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone are of primary concern, Fusarium spp. can produce a plethora of other secondary metabolites, some of which have known toxic properties, and others that have not been evaluated. Current areas of research on Fusarium mycotoxins include effects on human and animal health, improved detection methods, biological control, detoxification of contaminated food and feed, and, on a fundamental level, the genetic regulation of toxin biosynthesis, their mechanism(s) of action and the selective advantage provided to the producer. Extensive research has been completed on fumonisins, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol and other trichothecenes, including studies identifying their biosynthetic pathways, but more fundamental work is needed on mycotoxins and mycotoxin-producing Fusarium spp. The focus of this Special Issue will be on Fusarium mycotoxins and studies focused on their chemistry, genetics, and biology. Some areas of particular interest include the effect of these mycotoxins on other microbes and their plant hosts, their genetic regulation in various Fusarium species, as well as the discovery of novel/emerging Fusarium metabolites that may in fact be functional mycotoxins. We invite our fellow researchers to submit their works or related review articles to help create a better understanding of the biology and impact of metabolically active Fusarium species.

Dr. Scott Gold
Dr. Susan P McCormick
Dr. Anthony E. Glenn
Dr. Imane Laraba
Dr. Thomas Baldwin
Dr. Timothy Satterlee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • trichothecenes
  • fumonisins
  • mycotoxicology
  • genetics
  • novel secondary metabolites
  • microbiome/microbial interactions
  • effect on plant host
  • synergism
  • emerging mycotoxins

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 682 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Mycotoxins Produced by Fusarium Strains Infecting Weeds
by Sigita Janaviciene, Eimantas Venslovas, Grazina Kadziene, Neringa Matelioniene, Zane Berzina, Vadims Bartkevics and Skaidre Suproniene
Toxins 2023, 15(7), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15070420 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 904
Abstract
Although Fusarium is mainly known as an agricultural pathogen that affects monocotyledonous plants, it can also infect different species of weeds in the agricultural environment, thereby contributing to the production of mycotoxins in cereals. In this study, we present new developmental data on [...] Read more.
Although Fusarium is mainly known as an agricultural pathogen that affects monocotyledonous plants, it can also infect different species of weeds in the agricultural environment, thereby contributing to the production of mycotoxins in cereals. In this study, we present new developmental data on the diversity of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium avenaceum strains from weeds under field conditions. Regarding the potential for the strain dependence of mycotoxin production, this study demonstrated that all F. graminearum strains isolated from weeds and spring wheat showed high potential for deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-ADON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON), and nivalenol (NIV) production in spring wheat under field conditions. It was determined that F. graminearum is a typical producer of B-type trichothecenes. All strains of F. avenaceum isolated from spring wheat and weeds have the potential to produce enniatins and moniliformin in spring wheat. Each type of weed can host different Fusarium species and strains that produce completely different mycotoxins. Therefore, the distribution of mycotoxins in spring wheat grain may depend more on the Fusarium species or strains that infect the weeds than on the pathogen’s host plant species. The predominance of specific mycotoxins in cereals depends on the year’s weather conditions and the diversity of Fusarium species present in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fusarium Mycotoxins: Chemistry, Genetics and Biology)
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18 pages, 2789 KiB  
Article
A Novel Trichothecene Toxin Phenotype Associated with Horizontal Gene Transfer and a Change in Gene Function in Fusarium
by Robert H. Proctor, Guixia Hao, Hye-Seon Kim, Briana K. Whitaker, Imane Laraba, Martha M. Vaughan and Susan P. McCormick
Toxins 2023, 15(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15010012 - 24 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1725
Abstract
Fusarium trichothecenes are among the mycotoxins of most concern to food and feed safety. Production of these mycotoxins and presence of the trichothecene biosynthetic gene (TRI) cluster have been confirmed in only two multispecies lineages of Fusarium: the Fusarium incarnatum [...] Read more.
Fusarium trichothecenes are among the mycotoxins of most concern to food and feed safety. Production of these mycotoxins and presence of the trichothecene biosynthetic gene (TRI) cluster have been confirmed in only two multispecies lineages of Fusarium: the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti (Incarnatum) and F. sambucinum (Sambucinum) species complexes. Here, we identified and characterized a TRI cluster in a species that has not been formally described and is represented by Fusarium sp. NRRL 66739. This fungus is reported to be a member of a third Fusarium lineage: the F. buharicum species complex. Cultures of NRRL 66739 accumulated only two trichothecenes, 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin and 7-hydroxyisotrichodermol. Although these are not novel trichothecenes, the production profile of NRRL 66739 is novel, because in previous reports 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin and 7-hydroxyisotrichodermol were components of mixtures of 6–8 trichothecenes produced by several Fusarium species in Sambucinum. Heterologous expression analysis indicated that the TRI13 gene in NRRL 66739 confers trichothecene 7-hydroxylation. This contrasts the trichothecene 4-hydroxylation function of TRI13 in other Fusarium species. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that NRRL 66739 acquired the TRI cluster via horizontal gene transfer from a close relative of Incarnatum and Sambucinum. These findings provide insights into evolutionary processes that have shaped the distribution of trichothecene production among Fusarium species and the structural diversity of the toxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fusarium Mycotoxins: Chemistry, Genetics and Biology)
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