Mycotoxin Biosynthesis and Genetic Transformation Systems in Fungi
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Mycotoxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 12002
Special Issue Editors
Interests: fungal secondary metabolism; mycotoxins; fungal-plant interactions
Interests: fungal secondary metabolism; natural products; plant-fungal interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: genetic basis of variation in production of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites in fungi; genetic regulation and evolution of secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes in fungi; role of secondary metabolite production in the ecology of fungi
2. Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IPSP-CNR), 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
Interests: biological control; Trichoderma; secondary metabolites; metabolite characterization; plant pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fungi produce tens of thousands of natural products that are diverse in structure and biological activity. Most are considered secondary metabolites because they are not essential for growth or development. The biosynthesis of these metabolites is of interest because of the pharmaceutical properties of some (e.g., antibiotics, immunosuppressants) and toxicity of others to plants, livestock animals, and humans. The study of the genes required for the biosynthesis of animal/human toxins (i.e., mycotoxins) has been the focus of research labs around the world during the last several decades. The development of next-generation genome sequencing methods has revolutionized the identification of the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites. However, the demonstration of the role of a gene in biosynthesis typically requires a labor-intensive process of targeted gene deletion analysis, which in turn requires the development of efficient fungal transformation procedures. This methodology has existed for decades, but has recently been advanced by the emerging application of CRISPR-based gene editing techniques. Together, genome sequencing, fungal transformation and CRISPR-based methods have the potential to lead to tremendous advances in our understanding of the biosynthesis and control of mycotoxins.
This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original articles that address the recent advances and challenges in the biosynthesis of mycotoxins including but not limited to:
Polyketides (e.g., aflatoxins, ochratoxin, aurofusarin, citrinin, fumonisins, botcinins, etc.)
Non-ribosomal peptides- or amino acid-derived compounds (e.g., ergot alkaloids, siderophores, HC-toxin, AM-toxin, etc.)
Terpenes (e.g., botryanes, trichothecenes, culmorin, etc.)
Dr. Santiago Gutierrez
Dr. Susan P. McCormick
Dr. Robert H. Proctor
Dr. Francesco Vinale
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- mycotoxin biosynthesis
- fungal gene clusters
- fungal genetic transformation
- fungal gene edition
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