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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 #414782
Research Project: Aflatoxin Control through Identification of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Governing the Aspergillus Flavus-Corn Interaction

Location: Food and Feed Safety Research

Title: Beyond morphogenesis and secondary metabolism: function of Velvet proteins and LaeA in fungal pathogenesis

Author
item CALVO, ANA - Northern Illinois University
item DABHOLKAR, A - Northern Illinois University
item WYMAN, ELIZABETH - Northern Illinois University
item Lohmar, Jessica
item CARY, JEFFREY - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/2024
Publication Date: 9/4/2024
Citation: Calvo, A.M., Dabholkar, A., Wyman, E., Lohmar, J.M., Cary, J.W. 2024. Beyond morphogenesis and secondary metabolism: function of Velvet proteins and LaeA in fungal pathogenesis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. article e00819-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00819-24.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00819-24

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Velvet proteins, as well as the epigenetic regulator LaeA have been found conserved in numerous fungal species, where, in response to environmental cues, they control several crucial cellular processes, including sexual and asexual morphogenesis, secondary metabolism, response to oxidative stress and virulence. During the last two decades our knowledge of their mechanism of action, as well as our understanding of their functional roles, has greatly increased, particularly in species of the genus Aspergillus. Research efforts from multiple groups followed, leading to the characterization of other velvet and LaeA homologs in species of other fungal genera, including important opportunistic plant and animal pathogens. This review focuses mainly on the current knowledge of the role of velvet and LaeA function in fungal pathogenesis. Velvet proteins and LaeA are unique to fungi, for this reason, this knowledge could set the bases for the development of targeted control strategies to decrease the detrimental impact of fungal pathogens capable of causing disease in plants and animals.