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Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Toxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 11907

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Geert Haesaert

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Guest Editor

Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Interests: effect of control measurements on fungi–host interaction and mycotoxin production physiological aspects of mycotoxins in the interaction with the host plant; role of mycotoxins in infection and colonization process; plant resistance mechanisms in relation to infection process of mycotoxigenic fungi
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycotoxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins are a long-standing problem in food and feed production systems worldwide. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites, and accumulating evidence has shown that the production of these secondary metabolites is highly variable and can be triggered by diverse environmental and cellular signals from fungi as well as their hosts. The complex interplay between environmental conditions, fungus metabolism, and host determine the outcome of the fungal infection and colonization process. Certain mycotoxins play a dominant role in the infection and colonization process (e.g., DON), while the role of other mycotoxins remains unclear. A good understanding of the plant–mycotoxigenic fungus interaction can be the first step in the development of a lasting system for controlling mycotoxin contamination in our food systems.

This Special Issue aims to gain insights into the interactions between mycotoxigenic fungi and their host plants. Submissions dealing with the physiological aspects of mycotoxins in the interaction with the host plant, plant resistance mechanisms in relation to the infection process of mycotoxigenic fungi, and molecular crosstalk between plants and mycotoxigenic fungi are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Geert Haesaert
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mycotoxin
secondary metabolites
physiological
host plant

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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35 pages, 13873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3-keto-DON, but Not 3-epi-DON, Retains the in Planta Toxicological Potential after the Enzymatic Biotransformation of Deoxynivalenol

by Xiu-Zhen Li, Yousef I. Hassan, Dion Lepp, Yan Zhu and Ting Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 7230; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23137230 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1629

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a secondary fungal metabolite that is associated with many adverse toxicological effects in agriculture as well as human/animal nutrition. Bioremediation efforts in recent years have led to the discovery of numerous bacterial isolates that can transform DON to less toxic derivatives. Both 3-keto-DON and 3-epi-DON were recently shown to exhibit reduced toxicity, compared to DON, when tested using different cell lines and mammalian models. In the current study, the toxicological assessment of 3-keto-DON and 3-epi-DON using in planta models surprisingly revealed that 3-keto-DON, but not 3-epi-DON, retained its toxicity to a large extent in both duckweeds (Lemna minor L.) and common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) model systems. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the exposure of L. minor to 3-keto-DON and DON resulted in substantial transcriptomic changes and similar gene expression profiles, whereas 3-epi-DON did not. These novel findings are pivotal for understanding the environmental burden of the above metabolites as well as informing the development of future transgenic plant applications. Collectively, they emphasize the fundamental need to assess both plant and animal models when evaluating metabolites/host interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants 2.0)

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19 pages, 7671 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamics of Fusarium Mycotoxins and Lytic Enzymes during Pea Plants’ Infection

by Lakshmipriya Perincherry, Monika Urbaniak, Izabela Pawłowicz, Karolina Kotowska, Agnieszka Waśkiewicz and Łukasz Stępień

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 9888; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22189888 - 13 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2302

Abstract

Fusarium species are common plant pathogens that cause several important diseases. They produce a wide range of secondary metabolites, among which mycotoxins and extracellular cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) contribute to weakening and invading the host plant successfully. Two species of Fusarium isolated from peas were monitored for their expression profile of three cell wall-degrading enzyme coding genes upon culturing with extracts from resistant (Sokolik) and susceptible (Santana) pea cultivars. The extracts from Santana induced a sudden increase in the gene expression, whereas Sokolik elicited a reduced expression. The coherent observation was that the biochemical profile of the host plant plays a major role in regulating the fungal gene expression. In order to uncover the fungal characteristics in planta, both pea cultivars were infected with two strains each of F. proliferatum and F. oxysporum on the 30th day of growth. The enzyme activity assays from both roots and rhizosphere indicated that more enzymes were used for degrading the cell wall of the resistant host compared to the susceptible host. The most commonly produced enzymes were cellulase, β-glucosidase, xylanase, pectinase and lipase, where the pathogen selectively degraded the components of both the primary and secondary cell walls. The levels of beauvericin accumulated in the infected roots of both cultivars were also monitored. There was a difference between the levels of beauvericin accumulated in both the cultivars, where the susceptible cultivar had more beauvericin than the resistant one, showing that the plants susceptible to the pathogen were also susceptible to the toxin accumulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants 2.0)

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20 pages, 1800 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Biochemical Response to Fusarium culmorum Infection in Three Durum Wheat Genotypes at Seedling and Full Anthesis Stage

by Jakub Pastuszak, Anna Szczerba, Michał Dziurka, Marta Hornyák, Przemysław Kopeć, Marek Szklarczyk and Agnieszka Płażek

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(14), 7433; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22147433 - 11 Jul 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3974

Abstract

Fusarium culmorum is a worldwide, soil-borne plant pathogen. It causes diseases of cereals, reduces their yield, and fills the grain with toxins. The main direction of modern breeding is to select wheat genotypes the most resistant to Fusarium diseases. This study uses seedlings and plants at the anthesis stage to analyze total soluble carbohydrates, total and cell-wall bound phenolics, chlorophyll content, antioxidant activity, hydrogen peroxide content, mycotoxin accumulation, visual symptoms of the disease, and Fusarium head blight index (FHBi). These results determine the resistance of three durum wheat accessions. We identify physiological or biochemical markers of durum wheat resistance to F. culmorum. Our results confirm correlations between FHBi and mycotoxin accumulation in the grain, which results in grain yield decrease. The degree of spike infection (FHBi) may indicate accumulation mainly of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol in the grain. High catalase activity in the infected leaves could be considered a biochemical marker of durum sensitivity to this fungus. These findings allowed us to formulate a strategy for rapid evaluation of the disease severity and the selection of plants with higher level, or resistance to F. culmorum infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants 2.0)

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Review

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15 pages, 2154 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Plant Hormones in the Interaction of Colletotrichum Species with Their Host Plants

by Thomas Svoboda, Michael R. Thon and Joseph Strauss

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(22), 12454; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222212454 - 18 Nov 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3100

Abstract

Colletotrichum is a plant pathogenic fungus which is able to infect virtually every economically important plant species. Up to now no common infection mechanism has been identified comparing different plant and Colletotrichum species. Plant hormones play a crucial role in plant-pathogen interactions regardless whether they are symbiotic or pathogenic. In this review we analyze the role of ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, auxin and salicylic acid during Colletotrichum infections. Different Colletotrichum strains are capable of auxin production and this might contribute to virulence. In this review the role of different plant hormones in plant—Colletotrichum interactions will be discussed and thereby auxin biosynthetic pathways in Colletotrichum spp. will be proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Their Interactions with Plants 2.0)

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