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Legan AW, Mehl HL, Wissotski M, Adhikari BN, Callicott KA. Telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of the aflatoxin biocontrol agent Aspergillus flavus isolate La3279 isolated from maize in Nigeria. Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0069623. [PMID: 38332494 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00696-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the complete genome of the non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus isolate La3279, which is an active ingredient of the aflatoxin biocontrol product Aflasafe. The chromosome-scale assembly clarifies the deletion pattern in the aflatoxin biosynthesis gene cluster and corrects a misidentified assembly previously published for this isolate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Legan
- Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Hillary L Mehl
- Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Marina Wissotski
- School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Bishwo N Adhikari
- APHIS PPQ Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program, US Department of Agriculture, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Kenneth A Callicott
- Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Ortega-Beltran A, Bandyopadhyay R. Aflatoxin biocontrol in practice requires a multidisciplinary, long-term approach. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1110964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most elusive food safety problems is the contamination of staple crops with the highly carcinogenic aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus section Flavi fungi. Governments, farmers, institutions, consumers, and companies demand aflatoxin solutions. Many aflatoxin management technologies exist, but their real-life use and effectiveness is determined by diverse factors. Biocontrol products based on atoxigenic isolates of A. flavus can effectively reduce aflatoxins from field to fork. However, development, testing, and registration of this technology is a laborious process. Further, several barriers prevent the sustainable use of biocontrol products. There are challenges to have the products accepted, to make them available at scale and develop mechanisms for farmers to buy them, to have the products correctly used, to demonstrate their value, and to link farmers to buyers of aflatoxin-safe crops. Developing an effective aflatoxin management technology is the first, major step. The second one, perhaps more complicated and unfortunately seldomly discussed, is to develop mechanisms to have it used at scale, sustainably, and converged with other complementary technologies. Here, challenges and actions to scale the aflatoxin biocontrol technology in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa are described with a view to facilitating aflatoxin management efforts in Africa and beyond.
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Loi M, Logrieco AF, Pusztahelyi T, Leiter É, Hornok L, Pócsi I. Advanced mycotoxin control and decontamination techniques in view of an increased aflatoxin risk in Europe due to climate change. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1085891. [PMID: 36762096 PMCID: PMC9907446 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1085891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. found in staple food and feed commodities worldwide. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic, and pose a serious threat to the health of both humans and animals. The global economy and trade are significantly affected as well. Various models and datasets related to aflatoxins in maize have been developed and used but have not yet been linked. The prevention of crop loss due to aflatoxin contamination is complex and challenging. Hence, the set-up of advanced decontamination is crucial to cope with the challenge of climate change, growing population, unstable political scenarios, and food security problems also in European countries. After harvest, decontamination methods can be applied during transport, storage, or processing, but their application for aflatoxin reduction is still limited. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the effects of environmental factors on aflatoxin production because of climate change and to critically discuss the present-day and novel decontamination techniques to unravel gaps and limitations to propose them as a tool to tackle an increased aflatoxin risk in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Loi
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Bari, Italy,*Correspondence: Martina Loi, ✉
| | - Antonio F. Logrieco
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Tünde Pusztahelyi
- Central Laboratory of Agricultural and Food Products, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Éva Leiter
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary,ELRN-UD Fungal Stress Biology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Hornok
- Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - István Pócsi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary,ELRN-UD Fungal Stress Biology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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Molo MS, White JB, Cornish V, Gell RM, Baars O, Singh R, Carbone MA, Isakeit T, Wise KA, Woloshuk CP, Bluhm BH, Horn BW, Heiniger RW, Carbone I. Asymmetrical lineage introgression and recombination in populations of Aspergillus flavus: Implications for biological control. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276556. [PMID: 36301851 PMCID: PMC9620740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an agriculturally important fungus that causes ear rot of maize and produces aflatoxins, of which B1 is the most carcinogenic naturally-produced compound. In the US, the management of aflatoxins includes the deployment of biological control agents that comprise two nonaflatoxigenic A. flavus strains, either Afla-Guard (member of lineage IB) or AF36 (lineage IC). We used genotyping-by-sequencing to examine the influence of both biocontrol agents on native populations of A. flavus in cornfields in Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana. This study examined up to 27,529 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a total of 815 A. flavus isolates, and 353 genome-wide haplotypes sampled before biocontrol application, three months after biocontrol application, and up to three years after initial application. Here, we report that the two distinct A. flavus evolutionary lineages IB and IC differ significantly in their frequency distributions across states. We provide evidence of increased unidirectional gene flow from lineage IB into IC, inferred to be due to the applied Afla-Guard biocontrol strain. Genetic exchange and recombination of biocontrol strains with native strains was detected in as little as three months after biocontrol application and up to one and three years later. There was limited inter-lineage migration in the untreated fields. These findings suggest that biocontrol products that include strains from lineage IB offer the greatest potential for sustained reductions in aflatoxin levels over several years. This knowledge has important implications for developing new biocontrol strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan S. Molo
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
| | - James B. White
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
| | - Vicki Cornish
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
| | - Richard M. Gell
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
- Program of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North
Carolina, United States of America
| | - Oliver Baars
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
| | - Rakhi Singh
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
| | - Mary Anna Carbone
- Center for Integrated Fungal Research and Department of Plant and
Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
of America
| | - Thomas Isakeit
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas AgriLife Extension
Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of
America
| | - Kiersten A. Wise
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, Princeton, KY,
United States of America
| | - Charles P. Woloshuk
- Department of Plant Pathology and Botany, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN, United States of America
| | - Burton H. Bluhm
- University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Department of Entomology
and Plant Pathology, Fayetteville, AR, United States of
America
| | - Bruce W. Horn
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service,
Dawson, GA, United States of America
| | - Ron W. Heiniger
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Ignazio Carbone
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Center for Integrated
Fungal Research, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of
America
- Program of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North
Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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