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Epigenetic and Post-translational Modifications in Regulation of Development and Mycotoxins...
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Epigenetic and Post-translational Modifications in Regulation of Development and Mycotoxins in Aspergillus

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Genomics, Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 3300

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kunlong Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
Interests: regulation mechanism of mycotoxins biosynthesis and fungal development; biological control mechanism of fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus flavus

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aspergillus is a genus which consists of a few hundred species, renowned for its abundance of bioactive secondary metabolites, many of which are important as toxins, pharmaceuticals and in industrial production. The contamination of mycotoxins produced by A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nidulans on foodstuffs or crop seeds, and invasive aspergillosis caused by human pathogens—primarily A. fumigatus and A. flavus—are responsible for serious health problems and agriculture economic losses.

Epigenetic modifications have been proven to participate in multiple cellular processes and suggested to be an important regulatory mechanism in the transcription of genes in eukaryotes. Recently, epigenetic modifications have also raised concerns regarding the correlation of regulating fungal biology and pathogenicity in Aspergillus spp. and other pathogenic fungi. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the possible adverse effects of climate change on fungal aggressivity. Through comprehensive reviews, original research and novel perspectives, this Special Issue will explore recent developments on epigenetic and post-translational modifications in the regulation of development, mycotoxins and pathogenicity in Aspergillus to develop new drug targets and efficient antifungal strategies against fungal pathogens.

Dr. Kunlong Yang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Aspergillus
  • mycotoxins
  • secondary metabolites
  • fungal development
  • epigenetic
  • posttranslational modifications
  • regulation of fungal virulence

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4535 KiB  
Article
The Autophagy-Related Protein ATG8 Orchestrates Asexual Development and AFB1 Biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus
by Qingru Geng, Jixiang Hu, Pingzhi Xu, Tongzheng Sun, Han Qiu, Shan Wang, Fengqin Song, Ling Shen, Yongxin Li, Man Liu, Xue Peng, Jun Tian and Kunlong Yang
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050349 - 13 May 2024
Viewed by 1315
Abstract
Autophagy, a conserved cellular recycling process, plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis under stress conditions. It also regulates the development and virulence of numerous filamentous fungi. In this study, we investigated the specific function of ATG8, a reliable autophagic marker, in the [...] Read more.
Autophagy, a conserved cellular recycling process, plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis under stress conditions. It also regulates the development and virulence of numerous filamentous fungi. In this study, we investigated the specific function of ATG8, a reliable autophagic marker, in the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus flavus. To investigate the role of atg8 in A. flavus, the deletion and complemented mutants of atg8 were generated according to the homologous recombination principle. Deletion of atg8 showed a significant decrease in conidiation, spore germination, and sclerotia formation compared to the WT and atg8C strains. Additionally, aflatoxin production was found severely impaired in the ∆atg8 mutant. The stress assays demonstrated that ATG8 was important for A. flavus response to oxidative stress. The fluorescence microscopy showed increased levels of reactive oxygen species in the ∆atg8 mutant cells, and the transcriptional result also indicated that genes related to the antioxidant system were significantly reduced in the ∆atg8 mutant. We further found that ATG8 participated in regulating the pathogenicity of A. flavus on crop seeds. These results revealed the biological role of ATG8 in A. flavus, which might provide a potential target for the control of A. flavus and AFB1 biosynthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epigenetic and Post-translational Modifications in Regulation of Development and Mycotoxins in Aspergillus)
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16 pages, 2883 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Insights into the Effect of Sterigmatocystin on Aspergillus flavus
by Yarong Zhao, Rui Zeng, Peirong Chen, Chulan Huang, Kaihang Xu, Xiaomei Huang and Xu Wang
J. Fungi 2023, 9(12), 1193; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9121193 - 13 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1496
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an important fungus that produces aflatoxins, among which aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic and contaminates food and poses a high risk to human health. AFB1 interacts with another mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (STC), which is also [...] Read more.
Aspergillus flavus is an important fungus that produces aflatoxins, among which aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic and contaminates food and poses a high risk to human health. AFB1 interacts with another mycotoxin sterigmatocystin (STC), which is also a precursor of AFB1. Herein, we determined the effect of STC on AFB1 by evaluating A. flavus transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in the presence or absence of STC by RNA-seq and isobaric tagging, respectively. Overall, 3377 differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA-seq. These genes were mainly associated with the cellular component organisation and biosynthesis, the synthesis of valine, leucine, and isoleucine, and the synthesis of aflatoxin. Clustered genes responsible for AFB1 biosynthesis exhibited varying degrees of downregulation, and norB expression was completely suppressed in the experimental group. During proteomic analysis, 331 genes were differentially expressed in response to STC. These differentially expressed proteins were associated with cell parts and catalytic and antioxidant activities. Differentially expressed proteins predominantly participated in metabolic pathways associated with aflatoxin biosynthesis, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glutathione metabolism, and carbon metabolism. Notably, the upregulated and downregulated enzymes in carbohydrate and glutathione metabolisms may serve as potential gateways for inhibiting aflatoxin biosynthesis. Moreover, twelve proteins including seven downregulated ones involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis were identified; among them, AflG was the most downregulated, suggesting that it may be the key enzyme responsible for inhibiting aflatoxin synthesis. These findings provide novel insights into A. flavus control and the mechanisms regulating mycotoxin production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epigenetic and Post-translational Modifications in Regulation of Development and Mycotoxins in Aspergillus)
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