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Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED FUSARIUM VERTICILLIOIDES ESTS TO IDENTIFY GENES ASSOCIATED WITH FUMONISIN TOXIN PRODUCTION

Author
item SHORE, DAVID - U OF IL, URBANA, IL
item Brown, Daren
item BRANDAU, P - U OF IL, URBANA, IL

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2004
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium verticillioides is a fungal pathogen found ubiquitously in corn and small grain fields throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The growth of this fungus, on some occasions, is associated with crop disease and the contamination of grains with the toxic secondary metabolite fumonisin. The ingestion of fumonisins has been shown to cause disease in livestock as well as cancer in animals. An EST study was undertaken to identify genes involved with fumonisin regulation. In total, 87,000 ESTs were identified from 7 cDNA libraries, representing 11,000 unique sequences. Based upon patterns of differential expression, 36 were identified as potential regulators of fumonisin production. Portions of these genes were cloned and utilized in generating knockout vectors. Analyses of the produced mutants were then conducted through the application of biological assays. The results of this research may be utilized to shutdown the fumonisin biosynthesis machinery and thereby decrease levels of contamination in affected agricultural commodities.