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Title: IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STRAINS OF GIBBERELLA FUJIKUROI MATING POPULATION A WITH RARE FUMONISIN PRODUCTION PHENOTYPES

Author
item Plattner, Ronald
item Desjardins, Anne
item LESLIE, JOHN - KANSAS STATE U, MANHATTAN
item NELSON, PAUL - PENN ST UNIV, UNIV PARK

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The fungus Gibberella fujikuroi also known as Fusarium moniliforme often grows on corn and other agricultural commodities. It produces a toxic compound called fumonisin B1 which causes diseases when consumed by farm animals and is suspected to cause cancer. Over 200 different strains of this fungus, which came mainly from corn and sorghum in North America, were analyzed for the ability to produce fumonisin. Only a small handful of these strains of fungus were unable to make the toxin when grown in the laboratory. In genetic experiments, strains of fungus that could not make toxin were crossed with the more common ones that make toxin. The experiment showed that a single gene is responsible for determining whether or not a strain produces fumonisin. It is expected that further study of this gene may give information that can be used to provide a way to reduce the danger of toxin in the corn that humans and animals eat.

Technical Abstract: A survey of more than 240 strains of Gibberella fujikuroi mating population A (anamorph Fusarium moniliforme) isolated mainly from maize and sorghum in North America identified three rare fumonisin production phenotypes. In liquid culture and on a maize solid substrate, several strains produced fumonisin B2 (FB2) or B3 (FB3) without production of fumonisin B1 (FB1), suggesting a defect in hydroxylation of C-5 or C-10. Several strains were nonproducers of fumonisins in liquid culture and low producers of fumonisins (from 0 to 600 ug/g total FB1, FB2 and FB3) on maize substrate. The heritability of fumonisin production on maize was studied by crossing fumonisin low producing and nonproducing strains with fumonisin high producing strains. Random ascospore and tetrad progeny were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography for their ability to produce fumonisins on maize substrate. Although most of these crosses were poorly fertile, in one cross the ability to produce high levels of fumonisins segregated as a single gene, designated fum 4, or group of closely linked genes. Allelism tests showed that fum 4 was linked to, but not allelic with, the fum1 locus that was previously identified in strains of mating population A from Nepal.