The Shifting Mycotoxin Profiles of Endophytic Fusarium Strains: A Case Study

Gelsomina Manganiello, Roberta Marra, Alessia Staropoli, Nadia Lombardi, Francesco Vinale and Rosario Nicoletti
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Gelsomina Manganiello: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Roberta Marra: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Alessia Staropoli: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Nadia Lombardi: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Francesco Vinale: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Rosario Nicoletti: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy

Agriculture, 2019, vol. 9, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Fusarium species are known to establish manifold interactions with wild and crop plants ranging from pathogenicity to endophytism. One of the key factors involved in the regulation of such relationships is represented by the production of secondary metabolites. These include several mycotoxins, which can accumulate in foodstuffs causing severe health problems to humans and animals. In the present study, an endophytic isolate (A1021B), preliminarily ascribed to the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), was subjected to biochemical and molecular characterization. The metabolomic analysis of axenic cultures of A1021B detected up to 206 compounds, whose production was significantly affected by the medium composition. Among the most representative products, fusaric acid (FA), its derivatives fusarinol and 9,10-dehydro-FA, culmorin and bikaverin were detected. These results were in contrast with previous assessments reporting FIESC members as trichothecene rather than FA producers. However, molecular analysis provided a conclusive indication that A1021B actually belongs to the species Fusarium babinda . These findings highlight the importance of phylogenetic analyses of Fusarium species to avoid misleading identifications, and the opportunity to extend databases with the outcome of metabolomic investigations of strains from natural contexts. The possible contribution of endophytic strains in the differentiation of lineages with an uneven mycotoxin assortment is discussed in view of its ensuing impact on crop productions.

Keywords: endophytic fungi; Fusarium; species complexes; mycotoxins; fusaric acid; trichothecenes; biosynthetic gene clusters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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