Fifty Years On from Deoxynivalenol (DON) Discovery—a Themed Issue in Honor of Professor J. David Miller

Dear Colleagues,

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a globally important mycotoxin that was discovered in the 1970s. It is notably produced by Fusarium graminearum and related species on cereals, including wheat, barley, and maize. Discovered because wheat damaged by the fungus caused symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain, it directly targets brain regions involved with food intake, leading to reduced food and feed consumption and weight loss. Across the north temperate region, DON is the most economically important mycotoxin, with regulatory limits set as low as 1 ppm for human consumption and 5 ppm for swine.

Over the past four decades, Professor Miller has made important contributions to DON research. He first reported the existence of different F. graminearum chemotypes, which at the time were largely driven by geographic area. Prof. Miller also demonstrated that DON was a virulence factor, and tolerant cereals had several mechanisms to limit its toxicity including changes in ribosomes and membrane chemistry. He was the first to demonstrate that cereals could detoxify DON, providing evidence that they were DON conjugates. This was confirmed over 20 years later to be the widely known metabolite DON-3-glucoside. He was also the first to produce DON in a stirred jar fermenter, which enabled the production of kg quantities of DON that were required for toxicity testing to determine regulatory limits. This versatile biosynthetic engine also enabled the discovery of dozens of other metabolites. More recently, Prof. Miller produced and made available standards of 3ANX and NX-toxin. After decades of research, it is evident that DON presents an ongoing complex challenge to farmers and producers, which will require much more research effort. Therefore, this Special Issue of Toxins, dedicated to Prof. J. David Miller on the occasion of his retirement, welcomes manuscripts that contribute to our continued understanding of DON and related F. graminearum toxins.

Dr. Mark W. Sumarah
Dr. Justin Renaud
Dr. David R. McMullin
Guest Editors

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