Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 3588

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Chemistry and Food Science, Faculty of Environmental and Information Sciences, Fukui University of Technology, 3-6-1, Gakuen, Fukui-shi, Fukui 910-8505, Japan
Interests: secondary metabolites; biosynthesis; toxigenic fungi; environment, ecology, and dynamics of toxigenic fungi; biocontrol; exposure of mycotoxins; biomarkers; omics; interactions of fungi with plants, microorganisms, and animals; bio-aerosols; aflatoxin; fumonisin; deoxynivalenol; Aspergillus; Penicillium; Fusarium
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. Contamination of crops with mycotoxins can have serious effects on the health of humans and animals. Since mycotoxins are commonly scientifically stable substances, detoxification of mycotoxins is practically difficult. Many countries have established standard values to ensure the safety of food and feed, and most of the contaminated crops that exceed the standard value are usually discarded. As a result, the economic losses caused by mycotoxin contamination are a very serious problem around the world.

Toxigenic fungi are present in various environments such as soils, plants, bio-aerosols, food manufacturing processes, and so on. Fungal metabolism, including mycotoxin biosynthesis, is affected by interactions with plants and microorganisms and is likely present in the environment. Further, the world is undergoing significant change, e.g., in the form of climate change, and we must find ways to ensure the survival of all living things. This is not restricted to just humans and animals, but also others, such as fungi, whose ecology is greatly affected by global warming, In order to assess the impact of mycotoxigenic fungi on our health as well as global trade, it is first pivotal that we clarify the ecology of toxigenic fungi in nature.

The scope of this issue includes but is not limited to:

  • Biosynthesis of fungal secondary metabolites and their regulation;
  • Technology for the detection of mycotoxigenic fungi from environments;
  • Interaction of toxigenic fungi with plants, microorganisms, and animals;
  • Regulation of mycotoxin contamination.

Prof. Dr. Kimiko Yabe
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • toxic secondary metabolites
  • biosynthesis and regulation of mycotoxins
  • toxigenic fungi in the environment
  • distribution and spread of toxic fungi
  • interaction of toxigenic fungi with other living things
  • biocontrol
  • biomarker
  • exposure
  • analysis via omics
  • aflatoxin
  • deoxynivalenol
  • fumonisin
  • Aspergillus
  • Penicillium
  • Fusarium
  • bio-aerosols
  • food and feed
  • food manufacturing
  • trade

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 10950 KiB  
Article
Role of Flavohemoglobins in the Development and Aflatoxin Biosynthesis of Aspergillus flavus
by Xiaoling Zhou, Dongyue Chen, Min Yu, Yuan Jiao and Fang Tao
J. Fungi 2024, 10(6), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10060437 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1029
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is notorious for contaminating food with its secondary metabolite—highly carcinogenic aflatoxins. In this study, we found that exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor could influence aflatoxin production in A. flavus. Flavohemoglobins (FHbs) are vital functional units in maintaining nitric oxide (NO) [...] Read more.
Aspergillus flavus is notorious for contaminating food with its secondary metabolite—highly carcinogenic aflatoxins. In this study, we found that exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor could influence aflatoxin production in A. flavus. Flavohemoglobins (FHbs) are vital functional units in maintaining nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis and are crucial for normal cell function. To investigate whether endogenous NO changes affect aflatoxin biosynthesis, two FHbs, FHbA and FHbB, were identified in this study. FHbA was confirmed as the main protein to maintain NO homeostasis, as its absence led to a significant increase in intracellular NO levels and heightened sensitivity to SNP stress. Dramatically, FHbA deletion retarded aflatoxin production. In addition, FHbA played important roles in mycelial growth, conidial germination, and sclerotial development, and response to oxidative stress and high-temperature stress. Although FHbB did not significantly impact the cellular NO level, it was also involved in sclerotial development, aflatoxin synthesis, and stress response. Our findings provide a new perspective for studying the regulatory mechanism of the development and secondary mechanism in A. flavus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 3111 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Screening of Alternaria oxytropis Isolated from Locoweed Plants for Genes Involved in Mycotoxin Swaisonine Production
by Shuangjie Yuan, Qingmei Zhao, Kun Yu, Ying Gao, Zhengbing Ma, Huanyu Li and Yongtao Yu
J. Fungi 2024, 10(1), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10010088 - 22 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1636
Abstract
Locoweed is a collective name for a variety of plants, such as Oxytropis and Astragalus L. When these plants are infected by some fungi or endophytes, they will produce an alkaloid (swainsonine) that is harmful to livestock. Chronic toxicity characterized by neurological disorders [...] Read more.
Locoweed is a collective name for a variety of plants, such as Oxytropis and Astragalus L. When these plants are infected by some fungi or endophytes, they will produce an alkaloid (swainsonine) that is harmful to livestock. Chronic toxicity characterized by neurological disorders occurs in livestock overfed on locoweed, and swainsonine (SW) is considered a major toxic component. The mechanism of the SW synthesis of endophytic fungi from locoweed remains unknown. In order to further discover the possible synthetic pathway of SW, in this study, a mycotoxin (SW) producer, Alternaria oxytropis isolate, UA003, isolated from Locoweed plants, and its mutant were subjected to transcriptomic analyses to ascertain the genes involved in the synthesis of this toxin. Mutant strain A. oxytropis E02 was obtained by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis treatment, and the strains were sequenced with different culture times for transcriptomic analysis and screening of differentially expressed genes. The results show a highly significant (p < 0.01) increase in SW yield in the A. oxytropis E02 strain obtained by EMS mutagenesis treatment compared to A. oxytropis UA003. A total of 637 differentially expressed genes were screened by transcriptome sequencing analysis, including 11 genes potentially associated with SW biosynthesis. These genes were screened using GO and KEGG data annotation and analysis. Among the differential genes, evm.TU.Contig4.409, evm.TU.Contig19.10, and evm.TU.Contig50.48 were associated with L-lysine biosynthesis, the L-pipecolic acid pathway, and the α-aminoadipic acid synthesis pathway. This study provides new insights to elucidate the mechanism of SW synthesis of endophytic fungi in locoweed and provides data support for further exploration of A. oxytropis genomics studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Fungi 2nd Edition)
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