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Title: ELUCIDATION OF THE FUMONISIN BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY BY DELETION ANALYSIS

Author
item Butchko, Robert
item Proctor, Robert
item PLATTNER, RONALD - RETIRED, ARS

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/2004
Publication Date: 8/4/2004
Citation: Butchko, R.A., Proctor, R., Plattner, R.D. 2004. Elucidation of the fumonisin biosynthetic pathway by deletion analysis [abstract]. American Phytopathological Society Abstracts. 94:S120.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fumonisins are polyketide mycotoxins produced by the maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides. A fumonisin biosynthetic gene cluster, consisting of 15 co-regulated genes, has been described in F. verticillioides. Predicted amino acid sequences of these genes suggest that most are involved in fumonisin biosynthesis. To determine the role of these genes, we deleted or disrupted each gene and examined the resulting effect on fumonisin production. The deletion/disruption mutants fell into four phenotypic classes: 1) complete loss of fumonisin production, 2) loss of certain fumonisins, 3) accumulation of novel fumonisin homologues, and 4) normal fumonisin production. These analyses along with feeding studies with the novel fumonisin homologues have allowed us to assign genes/enzymes to individual fumonisin biosynthetic reactions and, as a result, to propose a fumonisin biosynthetic pathway.