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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #303114
Title: Discovery and confirmation of genes/proteins associated with maize aflatoxin resistance

Author
item CHEN, ZHI-YUAN - Louisiana State University
item Rajasekaran, Kanniah - Rajah
item Brown, Robert
item SAYLER, RONALD - University Of Arkansas
item Bhatnagar, Deepak

Submitted to: World Mycotoxin Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2014
Publication Date: 2/3/2015
Citation: Chen, Z.-Y., Rajasekaran, K., Brown, R.L., Sayler, R.J., Bhatnagar, D. 2015. Discovery and confirmation of genes/proteins associated with maize aflatoxin resistance. World Mycotoxin Journal. 8(2):211-224.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the major crops susceptible to Aspergillus flavus infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination. Many earlier studies indicated the roles of kernel proteins, especially constitutively expressed proteins, in maize resistance to A. flavus infection and aflatoxin production. In this review, we examine the past and current efforts in identifying maize genes and proteins from kernel, rachis, and silk tissues that may play an important role in resistance to A. flavus infection and aflatoxin contamination, as well as the efforts in determining the importance or involvement of them in maize resistance through biochemical, molecular and genetics studies. At the end, we summarize several recent efforts in enhancing maize resistance to aflatoxin contamination using native genes from maize or heterologous and synthetic genes from other sources as well as from A. flavus.