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Plant Fungal Pathogens pp 439–455Cite as

The Induction of Mycotoxins by Trichothecene Producing Fusarium Species

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 835))

Abstract

In recent years, many Fusarium species have emerged which now threaten the productivity and safety of small grain cereal crops worldwide. During floral infection and post-harvest on stored grains the Fusarium hyphae produce various types of harmful mycotoxins which subsequently contaminate food and feed products. This article focuses specifically on the induction and production of the type B sesquiterpenoid trichothecene mycotoxins. Methods are described which permit in liquid culture the small or large scale production and detection of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its various acetylated derivatives. A wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ear inoculation assay is also explained which allows the direct comparison of mycotoxin production by species, chemotypes and strains with different growth rates and/or disease-causing abilities. Each of these methods is robust and can be used for either detailed time-course studies or end-point analyses. Various analytical methods are available to quantify the levels of DON, 3A-DON and 15A-DON. Some criteria to be considered when making selections between the different analytical methods available are briefly discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Rothamsted Research receives grant-aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK. MJ was supported by a grant from Bayer CropScience. RL and GC were supported by a BBSRC grant awarded within the special initiative on plant and microbial metabolomics (BB/D007224/1). We thank Neil Brown for critical reading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Centre for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK

    Rohan Lowe, Mélanie Jubault, Gail Canning, Martin Urban & Kim E. Hammond-Kosack

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  1. Rohan Lowe
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  2. Mélanie Jubault
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  3. Gail Canning
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  4. Martin Urban
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  5. Kim E. Hammond-Kosack
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Correspondence to Kim E. Hammond-Kosack .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Crops Science Laboratory, USDA-ARS, North 18th Street 1307, Fargo, 58105-5677, North Dakota, USA

    Melvin D. Bolton

  2. Lab. Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, 6708 PB, Netherlands

    Bart P.H.J. Thomma

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Lowe, R., Jubault, M., Canning, G., Urban, M., Hammond-Kosack, K.E. (2012). The Induction of Mycotoxins by Trichothecene Producing Fusarium Species. In: Bolton, M., Thomma, B. (eds) Plant Fungal Pathogens. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 835. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-501-5_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-501-5_27

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