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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Food Quality Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #296275
Title: The inhibitory effect of Bacillus megaterium on aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway gene expression in Aspergillus flavus

Author
item KONG, QING - Ocean University Of China
item CHI, CHEN - Ocean University Of China
item Yu, Jiujiang

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2013
Publication Date: 6/17/2013
Citation: Kong, Q., Chi, C., Yu, J. 2013. The inhibitory effect of Bacillus megaterium on aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway gene expression in Aspergillus flavus. Meeting Abstract. p. 109.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Aspergillus flavus is one of the major fungal mold that colonize peanut in the field and during storage. The impacts to human and animal health and to economy in agriculture and commerce are significant since this mould produces the most potent natural toxins, aflatoxins, which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunosuppressive, and teratogenic. A strain of marine Bacillus megaterium isolated from the Yellow Sea of East China was evaluated for its inhibitory effect on aflatoxin formation through inhibiting aflatoxin pathway gene expression in A. flavus as demonstrated by genechip analysis. The results showed that aflatoxin accumulation in potato dextrose broth liquid medium and liquid minimal medium was almost totally (98%) inhibited by B. megaterium. The inhibitory efficiency on aflatoxin accumulation by B. megaterium, however, was shown slightly reduced (85%~87%) in two peanut varieties due to poor condition for optimum growth of B. megaterium on peanut plant compared with that in the liquid medium. The expression of most of the aflatoxin biosynthetic genes in the fungus was confirmed to be inhibited. Some of the gene targets (aflF, aflT, aflS, aflJ, aflX) for inhibition by B. megaterium were identified which can be used for controlling aflatoxin contamination in peanuts. The mechanism of inhibition is under investigation.