Environmental Microbiology (2019) 21, 1957-1968

L. Nerva, W. Chitarra, I. Siciliano, F. Gaiotti, M. Ciuffo, M. Forgia, G.C. Varese and M. Turina (2019)
Mycoviruses mediate mycotoxin regulation in Aspergillus ochraceus
Environmental Microbiology 21 (6), 1957-1968
Abstract: To date, no demonstration of a direct correlation between the presence of mycoviruses and the quantitative or qualitative modulation of mycotoxins has been shown. In our study, we transfected a virus-free ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing isolate of Aspergillus ochraceus with purified mycoviruses from a different A. ochraceus isolate and from Penicillium aurantiogriseum. Among the mycoviruses tested, only Aspergillus ochraceus virus (AoV), a partitivirus widespread in A. ochraceus, caused a specific interaction that led to an overproduction of OTA, which is regulated by the European Commission and is the second most important contaminant of food and feed commodities. Gene expression analysis failed to reveal a specific viral upregulation of the mRNA of genes considered to play a role in the OTA biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, AoOTApks1, a polyketide synthase gene considered essential for OTA production, is surprisingly absent in the genome of our OTA-producing isolate. The possible biological and evolutionary implications of the mycoviral regulation of mycotoxin production are discussed.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Walter Chitarra, Massimo Turina

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
non-target effects/fate in environm.
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aspergillus ochraceus
Aspergillus mycoviruses (antagonists)	Aspergillus ochraceus