RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species

Mycotoxins are natural fungal products that are defined by their harmful effects on humans and animals. Aflatoxin contamination of maize by Aspergillus species and trichothecene contamination of small grains by Fusarium species are two of the most severe mycotoxin problems in the United States. We a...

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Main Authors: Tami McDonald, Daren Brown, Nancy P. Keller, Thomas M. Hammond
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The American Phytopathological Society 2005-06-01
Series:Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-18-0539
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author Tami McDonald
Daren Brown
Nancy P. Keller
Thomas M. Hammond
author_facet Tami McDonald
Daren Brown
Nancy P. Keller
Thomas M. Hammond
author_sort Tami McDonald
collection DOAJ
description Mycotoxins are natural fungal products that are defined by their harmful effects on humans and animals. Aflatoxin contamination of maize by Aspergillus species and trichothecene contamination of small grains by Fusarium species are two of the most severe mycotoxin problems in the United States. We are investigating RNA silencing in an effort to identify novel ways to control mycotoxin contamination of crops. Transformation of two Aspergilli (A. flavus and A. parasiticus) and a Fusarium (F. graminearum) with inverted repeat transgenes (IRT) containing sequences of mycotoxin-specific regulatory genes suppressed mycotoxin production in all three plant-pathogenic fungi. This atoxigenic phenotype was stable during infection on corn and wheat, and importantly, F. graminearum IRT strains were less virulent on wheat than were wild type. The IRT did not alter physiological characteristics of the fungi, such as spore production and growth rate on solid media. These results indicate that RNA silencing exists in Aspergillus and Fusarium plant pathogens and suggest that RNA silencing technology may be a useful tool for eliminating mycotoxin contamination of agricultural products.
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spelling doaj.art-99f6f15f73584ec299de25cbd6a4f5642022-12-22T03:10:31ZengThe American Phytopathological SocietyMolecular Plant-Microbe Interactions0894-02821943-77062005-06-0118653954510.1094/MPMI-18-0539RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium SpeciesTami McDonaldDaren BrownNancy P. KellerThomas M. HammondMycotoxins are natural fungal products that are defined by their harmful effects on humans and animals. Aflatoxin contamination of maize by Aspergillus species and trichothecene contamination of small grains by Fusarium species are two of the most severe mycotoxin problems in the United States. We are investigating RNA silencing in an effort to identify novel ways to control mycotoxin contamination of crops. Transformation of two Aspergilli (A. flavus and A. parasiticus) and a Fusarium (F. graminearum) with inverted repeat transgenes (IRT) containing sequences of mycotoxin-specific regulatory genes suppressed mycotoxin production in all three plant-pathogenic fungi. This atoxigenic phenotype was stable during infection on corn and wheat, and importantly, F. graminearum IRT strains were less virulent on wheat than were wild type. The IRT did not alter physiological characteristics of the fungi, such as spore production and growth rate on solid media. These results indicate that RNA silencing exists in Aspergillus and Fusarium plant pathogens and suggest that RNA silencing technology may be a useful tool for eliminating mycotoxin contamination of agricultural products.https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-18-0539deoxynivalenol
spellingShingle Tami McDonald
Daren Brown
Nancy P. Keller
Thomas M. Hammond
RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
deoxynivalenol
title RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
title_full RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
title_fullStr RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
title_full_unstemmed RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
title_short RNA Silencing of Mycotoxin Production in Aspergillus and Fusarium Species
title_sort rna silencing of mycotoxin production in aspergillus and fusarium species
topic deoxynivalenol
url https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/MPMI-18-0539
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