Interview with Prof. Dr. Jean-Denis Bailly—Winner of Toxins 2021 Best Paper Award

Name: Prof. Dr. Jean-Denis Bailly
Email: jean-denis.bailly@envt.fr
The Winning Paper: “Aflatoxin Biosynthesis and Genetic Regulation: A Review”

Prof. Dr. Jean-Denis Bailly is a veterinarian. He defended his Ph.D. in 1995 and was hired as an associate professor in food safety at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse in 1996 and became a full-time professor in 2014. He has worked on mycotoxicology for more than 20 years with a focus on fungal biodiversity and its evolution and the biotic and abiotic factors controlling mycotoxin production. For several years, he has worked on the development of a strategy to inhibit AFB1 synthesis by using plant extracts. The aim is to inhibit toxin production without interfering with fungal growth in order not to create an ecological vacuum that could benefit other pathogenic organisms, nor lead to resistance appearance since there is no selective pressure on the fungi.

We want to congratulate Prof. Dr. Jean-Denis Bailly for winning the Toxins 2021 Best Paper Award.

The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Jean-Denis Bailly:

1. Could you please briefly introduce the main content of the winning paper?
The main aim of this review is to present an exhaustive overview of all parameters that may interfere positively or negatively with aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis. AFB1 production is the result of complex biosynthetic pathways involving many genes that are themselves controlled by many environmental parameters.
This review mostly relies on the Ph.D. work of Dr. Isaura Caceres. She worked under my supervision on the identification of natural extracts able to inhibit aflatoxin B1 production in Aspergillus flavus. She was recently hired as an associate professor at the University of Bordeaux.

2. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations in this research field?
AFB1 is probably the most important mycotoxin as a public health issue. It is carcinogenic in humans and this is also a natural contaminant leading to the highest number of DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) worldwide.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms that influence the production of this highly toxic food contaminant may help in identifying ways to prevent its biosynthesis and therefore improve food safety by targeting the environmental responses that lead to a decrease or suppression in toxin production.
However, secondary metabolism in fungi is very complex and varied, and many genes have been shown to interfere with AFB1 synthesis. It is challenging to identify the direct connections between these genes and their function and the AFB1 cluster gene.

3. How was your experience submitting to Toxins?
I had already submitted several papers to Toxins, which has become a highly recognized scientific journal in the field of natural toxins and especially mycotoxins. The submission process is quite easy and peer-review process is extremely rapid, which is very much appreciated.

4. How do you think Open Access impacts authors?
Open Access makes papers easily accessible, which favors their citation in other works. This is also a good way to make research available to all researchers, regardless of their country and funding resources.