Location: Food and Feed Safety Research
Project Number: 6054-41420-009-012-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2026
End Date: May 31, 2029
Objective:
Identify and validate killer toxin genes in Aspergillus flavus to generate novel biocontrol strategies against aflatoxin contamination in corn. The project will (1) determine whether these putative killer toxin systems are functional, (2) express effective toxin-related genetic elements in transgenic corn to test their ability to reduce A. flavus infection and aflatoxin levels, and (3) engineer non-toxigenic A. flavus strains with functional killer systems for greenhouse and field testing as competitive biocontrol agents against naturally sensitive toxigenic isolates.
Approach:
A preliminary genomic analysis revealed KP4-like genes in A. flavus, prompting a broader multi-omics survey to identify additional killer toxin systems. Functional testing will use gene disruption or overexpression—including a CRISPR/Cas9 system developed in-house that creates indels without integrating into the genome—to confirm whether these toxin systems are active. The long-term goal is to validate functional killer genes and engineer A. flavus strains that can serve as biocontrol agents to reduce infection and aflatoxin contamination in corn.