Exploits Maize Kernels Using an "Orphan" Secondary Metabolite Cluster.

is a saprophytic cosmopolitan fungus, capable of infecting crops both pre- and post-harvest and exploiting different secondary metabolites, including aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are known carcinogens to animals and humans, but display no clear effect in host plants such as maize. In a previous study, we mined the genome of to identify secondary metabolite clusters putatively involving the pathogenesis process in maize.

Use of Dual RNA-seq for Systems Biology Analysis of and Interaction.

The interaction between and is complex, and the identification of plant genes and pathways conferring resistance to the fungus has been challenging. Therefore, the authors undertook a systems biology approach involving dual RNA-seq to determine the simultaneous response from the host and the pathogen. What was dramatically highlighted in the analysis is the uniformity in the development patterns of gene expression of the host and the pathogen during infection.

Carbon Dioxide Mediates the Response to Temperature and Water Activity Levels in Aspergillus flavus during Infection of Maize Kernels.

is a saprophytic fungus that may colonize several important crops, including cotton, maize, peanuts and tree nuts. Concomitant with colonization is its potential to secrete mycotoxins, of which the most prominent is aflatoxin. Temperature, water activity (a) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are three environmental factors shown to influence the fungus-plant interaction, which are predicted to undergo significant changes in the next century.

Interactions between water activity and temperature on the Aspergillus flavus transcriptome and aflatoxin B production.

Effects of Aspergillus flavus colonization of maize kernels under different water activities (a; 0.99 and 0.91) and temperatures (30, 37°C) on (a) aflatoxin B (AFB) production and (b) the transcriptome using RNAseq were examined.

A Network Approach of Gene Co-expression in the / Pathosystem to Map Host/Pathogen Interaction Pathways.

A gene co-expression network (GEN) was generated using a dual RNA-seq study with the fungal pathogen and its plant host during the initial 3 days of infection. The analysis deciphered novel pathways and mapped genes of interest in both organisms during the infection. This network revealed a high degree of connectivity in many of the previously recognized pathways in such as jasmonic acid, ethylene, and reactive oxygen species (ROS).