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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #269116
Title: Influence of water activity on fumonisin and bikaverin gene expression and toxin production in fusarium verticillioides

Author
item LAZZARO, IRENE - Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart Italy
item Busman, Mark
item BATTILANI, PAOLA - Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart Italy
item Butchko, Robert

Submitted to: International Society for Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/2011
Publication Date: 9/14/2012
Citation: Lazzaro, I., Busman, M., Battilani, P., Butchko, R.A. 2012. Influence of water activity on fumonisin and bikaverin gene expression and toxin production in fusarium verticillioides. Italian Society for Plant Pathology.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium verticillioides is known as the main cause of ear rot disease in maize. It can produce a variety of secondary metabolites including fumonisins (FUM) and bikaverin (BIK). The former are toxins known to cause diseases and cancers in both animals and humans; the latter is a red-pigment with defence activity for the fungus itself. Water activity (aw) is one of the main environmental factors known to influence secondary metabolite production in filamentous fungi. The biosynthetic pathways of these metabolites are under study; however the conditions at which genes regulating the pathways are activated are not clearly understood. In this work, we studied the production of both FUM and BIK and the expression of 4 FUM genes and BIK1 in 2 F. verticillioides strains in relation to changing of aw. We further confirmed the relationship between the expression of both FUM and BIK genes under FUM-inducing conditions.