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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #392747
Research Project: Eliminating Fusarium Mycotoxin Contamination of Corn by Targeting Fungal Mechanisms and Adaptations Conferring Fitness in Corn and Toxicology and Toxinology Studies of Mycotoxins

Location: Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research

Title: Transcriptomic response of Fusarium verticillioides to variably inhibitory environmental isolates of Streptomyces

Author
item Satterlee, Tim
item WILLIAMS, FELICIA - University Of Georgia
item NADAL, MARINA - Cemvita Factory Inc
item Glenn, Anthony - Tony
item Lofton, Lily
item Duke, Mary
item Scheffler, Brian
item Gold, Scott

Submitted to: Frontiers in Fungal Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/31/2022
Publication Date: 7/28/2022
Citation: Satterlee, T.R., Williams, F.N., Nadal, M., Glenn, A.E., Lofton, L., Duke, M.V., Scheffler, B.E., Gold, S.E. 2022. Transcriptomic response of Fusarium verticillioides to variably inhibitory environmental isolates of Streptomyces. Frontiers in Fungal Biology. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffunb.2022.894590.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/ffunb.2022.894590

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium verticillioides is a toxin producing mold that is a threat to food and feed safety due to common infection of corn, a crop used worldwide. A current way to fight this problem is the use of helpful organisms that can prevent the mold’s growth and ability to spread toxins in corn. The effect of different environmental bacteria on this mold and the resulting gene response was looked at in this study. The bacteria ranged from causing no effect to a large growth reduction in the mold. The gene expression response from the mold roughly responded proportionally to the inhibition caused by the bacteria. Part of this response was large changes in expression of different chemical pathways in the mold. Interestingly, genes involved in fusaric acid production were subdued by certain bacteria strains. A very active gene in the mold was looked at to test if it was involved in protection of the fungus from the compound(s) produced by bacteria. This study showed that F. verticillioides does not have an all or nothing response to all bacteria it encounters but a measured response that is specific.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium verticillioides is a mycotoxigenic fungus that is a threat to food and feed safety due to common infection of maize, a global staple crop. A current strategy to combat this threat is the use of biocontrol bacteria that can inhibit the fungus and reduce mycotoxin contamination. In this study, the effect of multiple environmental isolates of Streptomyces on F. verticillioides was examined via transcriptome analysis. The Streptomyces strains ranged from inducing no visible response to dramatic growth inhibition. Transcriptionally, F. verticillioides responded proportionally to strain inhibition with large changes in expression of multiple putative secondary metabolite gene clusters. Multiple uncharacterized gene clusters were also induced in response to Streptomyces. Interestingly, genes involved in the fusaric acid gene cluster were suppressed by inhibitory strains of Streptomyces. A highly induced F. verticillioides beta-lactamase was deleted to test the hypothesis that it was involved in protection via detoxification of unidentified compound(s) produced by highly inhibitory Streptomyces strains. This study demonstrates that F. verticillioides does not have an all or nothing response to bacteria it encounters but a measured response that is strain specific.