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Toxins Jun 2021In 2017-2018, extensive symptoms of sudden decline and fruit rot were observed on date palms in southern Tunisia. Samples of diseased plants were randomly collected in...
In 2017-2018, extensive symptoms of sudden decline and fruit rot were observed on date palms in southern Tunisia. Samples of diseased plants were randomly collected in six localities. Based on morphological identification, was the most frequent fungal genus detected. A sequencing of translation elongation factor, calmodulin, and second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II genes was used to identify 63 representative strains at species level and investigate their phylogenetic relationships. The main species detected was , and at a much lesser extent, , , , and . Pathogenicity on the variety plantlets and the capability to produce mycotoxins were also assessed. All species were pathogenic complying Koch's postulates. strains produced mainly fumonisins (FBs), beauvericin (BEA), and, to a lesser extent, enniatins (ENNs) and moniliformin (MON). All strains produced low levels of BEA, diacetoxyscirpenol, and neosolaniol; two strains produced also T-2 toxin, and a single strain produced HT-2 toxin. , , produced only BEA. strains produced MON, BEA, and ENNs. This work reports for the first time a comprehensive multidisciplinary study of species on date palms, concerning both phytopathological and food safety issues.
Topics: Fusarium; Mycotoxins; Phoeniceae; Phylogeny; Plant Diseases; Plant Leaves; Tunisia
PubMed: 34209422
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13070463 -
Journal of Food Protection Aug 2004This review focuses on the fumonisin-producing Fusarium species and the ecophysiology of these species. The effects of environmental biotic and abiotic factors on... (Review)
Review
This review focuses on the fumonisin-producing Fusarium species and the ecophysiology of these species. The effects of environmental biotic and abiotic factors on germination, growth, and fumonisin B1 production by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum have been investigated under laboratory, field, and storage conditions. An understanding of the factors involved in production of fumonisins is the first step in preventing accumulation of these toxins.
Topics: Consumer Product Safety; Food Microbiology; Fumonisins; Fusarium; Humans; Temperature; Water
PubMed: 15330553
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-67.8.1792 -
Toxins Jan 2022is a species-rich group of mycotoxigenic plant pathogens that ranks as one of the most economically important fungal genera in the world. During growth and infection,... (Review)
Review
is a species-rich group of mycotoxigenic plant pathogens that ranks as one of the most economically important fungal genera in the world. During growth and infection, they are able to produce a vast spectrum of low-molecular-weight compounds, so-called secondary metabolites (SMs). SMs often comprise toxic compounds (i.e., mycotoxins) that contaminate precious food and feed sources and cause adverse health effects in humans and livestock. In this context, understanding the regulation of their biosynthesis is crucial for the development of cropping strategies that aim at minimizing mycotoxin contamination in the field. Nevertheless, currently, only a fraction of SMs have been identified, and even fewer are considered for regular monitoring by regulatory authorities. Limitations to exploit their full chemical potential arise from the fact that the genes involved in their biosynthesis are often silent under standard laboratory conditions and only induced upon specific stimuli mimicking natural conditions in which biosynthesis of the respective SM becomes advantageous for the producer. This implies a complex regulatory network. Several components of these gene networks have been studied in the past, thereby greatly advancing the understanding of SM gene regulation and mycotoxin biosynthesis in general. This review aims at summarizing the latest advances in SM research in these notorious plant pathogens with a focus on chromatin structure.
Topics: Chromatin; DNA; Fusarium; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Histones; Mycotoxins; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Secondary Metabolism
PubMed: 35202124
DOI: 10.3390/toxins14020096 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2023f. sp. , the causal agent of cowpea fusarium wilt, is a serious threat to cowpea production in China. In this study, a sample of cowpea fusarium wilt was identified as...
f. sp. , the causal agent of cowpea fusarium wilt, is a serious threat to cowpea production in China. In this study, a sample of cowpea fusarium wilt was identified as f. sp. using the methods of morphological characters and molecular detection. We further reported the first genome assembly for f. sp. , with 53.7 Mb genome sequence comprising 14,694 genes. Comparative genomic analysis among five genomes showed that four accessory chromosomes in the five display similar characteristics, with low sequence similarity (55.35%, vs. overall average of 81.76%), low gene density (2.18 genes/10 kb vs. 3.02 genes/Mb) and highly transposable element density (TEs) (15.01/100 kb vs. 4.89/100 kb), indicating that variable accessory chromosomes are the main source of evolution. We identified a total of 100 f. sp. -specific effectors in the genome and found 13 specific effector genes located in large insertion or deletion regions, suggesting that insertion or deletion events can cause the emergence of species-specific effectors in . Our genome assembly of provides a valuable resource for the study of cowpea fusarium wilt, and the comparative genomic study of could contribute to the knowledge of genome and effector-associated pathogenicity evolution in study.
Topics: Fusarium; Plant Diseases; Genome, Fungal
PubMed: 36674475
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24020963 -
Molecular Plant Pathology May 2009Kingdom Fungi; Phylum Ascomycota; Class Sordariomycetes; Order Hypocreales; Family Nectriaceae; genus Fusarium. (Review)
Review
TAXONOMY
Kingdom Fungi; Phylum Ascomycota; Class Sordariomycetes; Order Hypocreales; Family Nectriaceae; genus Fusarium.
HOST RANGE
Very broad at the species level. More than 120 different formae speciales have been identified based on specificity to host species belonging to a wide range of plant families.
DISEASE SYMPTOMS
Initial symptoms of vascular wilt include vein clearing and leaf epinasty, followed by stunting, yellowing of the lower leaves, progressive wilting, defoliation and, finally, death of the plant. On fungal colonization, the vascular tissue turns brown, which is clearly visible in cross-sections of the stem. Some formae speciales are not primarily vascular pathogens, but cause foot and root rot or bulb rot.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Can cause severe losses in many vegetables and flowers, field crops, such as cotton, and plantation crops, such as banana, date palm and oil palm.
CONTROL
Use of resistant varieties is the only practical measure for controlling the disease in the field. In glasshouses, soil sterilization can be performed.
USEFUL WEBSITES
http://www.broad.mit.edu/annotation/genome/fusarium_group/MultiHome.html; http://www.fgsc.net/Fusarium/fushome.htm; http://www.phi-base.org/query.php
Topics: Arabidopsis; Colony Count, Microbial; Fusarium; Luminescent Proteins; Peroxisomes; Plant Diseases; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 19400835
DOI: 10.1111/j.1364-3703.2009.00538.x -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Jun 2020and are common maize pathogens that produce mycotoxins and cause plant disease. The ability of these species to produce beauvericin and fumonisin mycotoxins is not...
and are common maize pathogens that produce mycotoxins and cause plant disease. The ability of these species to produce beauvericin and fumonisin mycotoxins is not settled, as reports of toxin production are not concordant. Our objective was to clarify this situation by determining both the chemotypes and genotypes for strains from both species. We analyzed 25 strains from Argentina, 13 and 12 strains, for toxin production by ultraperformance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). We used new genome sequences from two strains of and one strain of , plus genomes of other species, to determine the presence of functional gene clusters for the synthesis of these toxins. None of the strains examined from either species produced fumonisins. These strains also lack biosynthetic genes but retain homologs of some genes that flank the cluster in None of the strains we examined produced beauvericin although 9 of 12 strains did. A complete beauvericin () gene cluster was present in all three new genome sequences. The gene was presumably functional in but was not functional in due to a large insertion and multiple mutations that resulted in premature stop codons. The accumulation of only a few mutations expected to disrupt suggests that the process of its inactivation is relatively recent. Thus, none of the strains of or we examined produce fumonisins, and the strains of examined also cannot produce beauvericin. Variation in the ability of strains of to produce beauvericin requires further study and could reflect the recent shared ancestry of these two species. and are sister species and maize pathogens commonly isolated worldwide that can produce several mycotoxins and cause seedling disease, stalk rot, and ear rot. The ability of these species to produce beauvericin and fumonisin mycotoxins is not settled, as reports of toxin production are not concordant at the species level. Our results are consistent with previous reports that strains of produce neither fumonisins nor beauvericin. The status of toxin production by needs further work. Our strains of did not produce fumonisins, while some strains produced beauvericin and others did not. These results enable more accurate risk assessments of potential mycotoxin contamination if strains of these species are present. The nature of the genetic inactivation of BEA1 is consistent with its relatively recent occurrence and the close phylogenetic relationship of the two sister species.
Topics: Depsipeptides; Fumonisins; Fusarium; Genotype; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity
PubMed: 32358011
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00133-20 -
Toxins Oct 2021is the major maize pathogen associated with ear rot and stalk rot worldwide. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) produced by , poses a serious threat to human and animal health....
is the major maize pathogen associated with ear rot and stalk rot worldwide. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) produced by , poses a serious threat to human and animal health. However, our understanding of FB1 synthesis and virulence mechanism in this fungus is still very limited. Glycosylation catalyzed by glycosyltransferases (GTs) has been identified as contributing to fungal infection and secondary metabolism synthesis. In this study, a family 2 glycosyltransferase, FvCpsA, was identified and characterized in . Δ exhibited significant defects in vegetative growth. Moreover, Δ also increased resistance to osmotic and cell wall stress agents. In addition, expression levels of genes involved in FB1 production were greatly up-regulated in Δ. HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analysis revealed that Δ significantly increased FB1 production. Interestingly, we found that the deletion of showed penetration defects on cellophane membrane, and thus led to obvious defects in pathogenicity. Characterization of FvCpsA domain experiments showed that conserved DXD and QXXRW domains were vital for the biological functions of FvCpsA. Taken together, our results indicate that FvCpsA is critical for fungal growth, FB1 biosynthesis and virulence in .
Topics: Fumonisins; Fusarium; Gene Deletion; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; Glycosyltransferases; Plant Diseases; Virulence; Zea mays
PubMed: 34679011
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13100718 -
Toxins Sep 2021Climate change will increase the co-occurrence of and , along with their mycotoxins, in European maize. In this study, the expression profiles of two () genes and four...
Climate change will increase the co-occurrence of and , along with their mycotoxins, in European maize. In this study, the expression profiles of two () genes and four mycotoxin biosynthetic genes, and , fumonisin pathway, and and , aflatoxin pathway, as well as mycotoxin production, were examined in kernels and in artificial medium after a single inoculation with or or with the two fungi in combination. Different temperature regimes (20, 25 and 30 °C) over a time-course of 21 days were also considered. In maize kernels, genes showed the strongest induction at 25 °C in the earlier days post inoculation (dpi)with both fungi inoculated singularly. A similar behaviour was maintained with fungi co-occurrence, but with enhanced defence response at 9 dpi under 20 °C. Regarding genes, in the kernels inoculated with the maximal transcript levels occurred at 6 dpi at 25 °C. At this temperature regime, expression values decreased with the co-occurrence of , where the highest gene induction was detected at 20 °C. Similar results were observed in fungi grown in vitro, whilst presence determined lower levels of expression along the entire time-course. As concerns genes, considering both alone and in combination, the most elevated transcript accumulation occurred at 30 °C during all time-course both in infected kernels and in fungi grown in vitro. Regarding mycotoxin production, no significant differences were found among temperatures for kernel contamination, whereas in vitro the highest production was registered at 25 °C for aflatoxin B1 and at 20 °C for fumonisins in the case of single inoculation. In fungal co-occurrence, both mycotoxins resulted reduced at all the temperatures considered compared to the amount produced with single inoculation.
Topics: Aflatoxins; Aspergillus flavus; Fumonisins; Fusarium; Gene Expression Profiling; Mycotoxins; Temperature; Zea mays
PubMed: 34678972
DOI: 10.3390/toxins13100680 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2020In this study, ten toxins were analysed in wheat and maize commodities from Albania. In total, 71 samples of wheat and 45 samples of maize were collected from different...
In this study, ten toxins were analysed in wheat and maize commodities from Albania. In total, 71 samples of wheat and 45 samples of maize were collected from different producing regions. The analytical procedure consisted of a simple one-step sample extraction followed by the determination of toxins using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. toxins were found in 23% of the analysed wheat samples and in 78% of maize samples. In maize samples, most often fumonisins B (FB1) and B (FB2) were found. They were present in 76% of samples. They were detected in all positive samples except in one with concentrations ranging from 59.9 to 16,970 μg/kg. The sum of FB1 and FB2 exceeded the EU maximum permitted level (4000 μg/kg) in 31% of maize samples. In wheat samples, the only detected mycotoxin was deoxynivalenol (DON), present in 23% of samples. In one sample with the concentration of 1916 μg/kg, the EU maximum permitted level (1250 μg/kg) was exceeded. This is the first report on the presence of toxins in wheat and maize grains cultivated in Albania.
Topics: Albania; Chromatography, Liquid; Food Contamination; Fusarium; Mycotoxins; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Triticum; Zea mays
PubMed: 33396539
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26010172 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Apr 2007To develop a DNA microarray for easy and fast detection of trichothecene- and moniliformin-producing Fusarium species.
AIMS
To develop a DNA microarray for easy and fast detection of trichothecene- and moniliformin-producing Fusarium species.
METHOD AND RESULTS
A DNA microarray was developed for detection and identification of 14 trichothecene- and moniliformin-producing species of the fungal genus Fusarium. The array could also differentiate between four species groups. Capture probes were designed based on recent phylogenetic analyses of translation elongation factor-1 alpha (TEF-1alpha) sequences. Particular emphasis was put on designing capture probes corresponding to groups or species with particular mycotoxigenic synthetic abilities. A consensus PCR amplification of a part of the TEF-1alpha is followed by hybridization to the Fusarium chip and the results are visualized by a colorimetric Silverquant detection method. We validated the Fusarium chip against five naturally infected cereal samples for which we also have morphological and chemical data. The limit of detection was estimated to be less than 16 copies of genomic DNA in spiked commercial wheat flour.
CONCLUSIONS
The current Fusarium chip proved to be a highly sensitive and fast microarray for detection and identification of Fusarium species. We postulate that the method also has potential for (semi-)quantification.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY
The Fusarium chip may prove to be a very valuable tool for screening of cereal samples in the food and feed production chain, and may facilitate detection of new or introduced Fusarium spp.
Topics: Cyclobutanes; Edible Grain; Fusarium; Mycotoxins; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Phylogeny; Trichothecenes
PubMed: 17381750
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03165.x