European Journal of Plant Pathology (2012) 134, 685-695

Irene Lazzaro, Antonia Susca, Giuseppina Mulè, Alberto Ritieni, Rosalia Ferracane, Adriano Marocco and Paola Battilani (2012)
Effects of temperature and water activity on FUM2 and FUM21 gene expression and fumonisin B production in Fusarium verticillioides
European Journal of Plant Pathology 134 (4), 685-695
Abstract: The fungus Fusarium verticillioides is a pathogen of maize and can produce the mycotoxins fumonisins. The present work examined the effect of abiotic factors on the expression of two fumonisin biosynthetic genes (FUM2 and FUM21) and fumonisin production in the fungus. Specifically, the effects of water activity (0.901-0.990), temperature (20-30 °C) and incubation time (7-21 days) were analysed in cultures of F. verticillioides strains ITEM 10027 and ITEM 1744. Fumonisin B was measured through liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and gene expression was quantified with relative real-time PCR, using the Livak method. Fumonisin production increased with incubation time up to 21 days and the transcription of both genes was highest at 14 days; however intraspecific variability was observed. FUM2 and FUM21 expression was positively correlated with fumonisin synthesis at different water activity and temperature regimes. A higher transcription of FUM2 in comparison with FUM21 was observed for all the conditions considered. Incubation time played a significant role in fumonisin production and gene expression, with the highest contamination and gene expression after 21 and 14 days of incubation, respectively. Temperature significantly affected only FUM21 expression, with the optimum at 25 °C; while water activity did not have a significant effect.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Paola Battilani, Giuseppina Mulè

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Fusarium verticillioides