Location: Food and Feed Safety Research
Project Number: 6054-42000-025-009-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2015
End Date: Feb 29, 2020
Objective:
To identify and characterize novel endogenous sources of resistance to ear rot and aflatoxin accumulation in corn.
Approach:
The focus of this research will be on a subset of the proteins that have been
identified in proteomic screening conducted at the USDA/ARS/SRRC lab, as putatively involved in aflatoxin accumulation and/or ear rot resistance. Identified proteins will be further characterized and the corresponding genes will be isolated and cloned. Proteins will be expressed in a suitable in vitro system and their possible physiological functions will be investigated. Knowledge of Aspergillus flavus functional genomics techniques will be used to identify/test proteins for target-specific interruption of aflatoxin biosynthesis. The information obtained through the above studies will be used to explore the potential of the identified genes to serve as markers in marker-assisted breeding programs.