dependent disruption of aflatoxin biosynthesis in : the connection with endosomal uptake and hyphal morphogenesis.

Aflatoxins, a family of fungal secondary metabolites, are toxic and carcinogenic compounds that pose an enormous threat to global food safety and agricultural sustainability. Specifically agricultural products in African, Southeast Asian and hot and humid regions of American countries suffer most damage from aflatoxin producing molds due to the ideal climate conditions promoting their growth. Our recent studies suggest that (Vg), an estuarine bacterium non-pathogenic to plants and humans, can significantly inhibit aflatoxin biosynthesis in the producers.

Acute and short-term administrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol modulate major gut metabolomic regulatory pathways in C57BL/6 mice.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive compound in Cannabis, which is studied extensively for its medicinal value. A central gap in the science is the underlying mechanisms surrounding THC's therapeutic effects and the role of gut metabolite profiles. Using a mass-spectrometry based metabolomics, we show here that intraperitoneal injection of THC in C57BL/6 mice modulates metabolic profiles that have previously been identified as integral to health.

Size and coating of engineered silver nanoparticles determine their ability to growth-independently inhibit aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus.

Recent studies from our laboratory indicate that engineered silver nanoparticles can inhibit aflatoxin biosynthesis even at concentrations at which they do not demonstrate antifungal activities on the aflatoxin-producing fungus. Whether such inhibition can be modified by altering the nanoparticles' physical properties remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that three differently sized citrated-coated silver nanoparticles denoted here as NP1, NP2, and NP3 (where, sizes of NP1 < NP2 < NP3) inhibit aflatoxin biosynthesis at different effective doses in Aspergillus parasiticus, the plant pathogenic filamentous fungus.

Complementary feeding may pose a risk of simultaneous exposures to aflatoxin M1 and deoxynivalenol in Indian infants and toddlers: Lessons from a mini-survey of food samples obtained from Kolkata, India.

A mini-survey of 29 different foods produced by 21 different Indian manufacturers was conducted for the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, aflatoxin M1 and deoxynivalenol. The products were purchased from local markets in Kolkata, India and commonly used in the complementary feeding of infants and toddlers in India. Using a previously established direct competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for this analysis we show that 100% of the samples contained aflatoxin M1 at levels exceeding the recommended European Union levels of 25 ng kg by more than an order of magnitude.

Antibiotic-mediated bacteriome depletion in Apc mice is associated with reduction in mucus-producing goblet cells and increased colorectal cancer progression.

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to antibiotics in early-to-middle adulthood is associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenoma. However, mechanistic studies in established preclinical cancer to examine these claims are extremely limited. Therefore, we investigated the effect of long-term exposure of an antibiotic cocktail composed of Vancomycin, Neomycin, and Streptomycin, on tumor development and progression in the Apc mouse, an established genetic model for familial adenomatous polyposis.

Activation of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Alleviates Total ROS in Aspergillus parasiticus.

An aspect of mycotoxin biosynthesis that remains unclear is its relationship with the cellular management of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we conduct a comparative study of the total ROS production in the wild-type strain (SU-1) of the plant pathogen and aflatoxin producer, , and its mutant strain, AFS10, in which the aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway is blocked by disruption of its pathway regulator, . We show that SU-1 demonstrates a significantly faster decrease in total ROS than AFS10 between 24 h to 48 h, a time window within which aflatoxin synthesis is activated and reaches peak levels in SU-1.

Complete Genome Sequence of ATCC 43942.

ATCC 43942 has the potential to synthesize a plethora of metabolites which are of clinical and agricultural significance in response to environmental triggers. The complete genomic sequence of ATCC 43942 is reported herein, contributing to the knowledge base of strains in the genus.

Citrate-Coated Silver Nanoparticles Growth-Independently Inhibit Aflatoxin Synthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus.

Manufactured silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have long been used as antimicrobials. However, little is known about how these NPs affect fungal cell functions. While multiple previous studies reveal that Ag NPs inhibit secondary metabolite syntheses in several mycotoxin producing filamentous fungi, these effects are associated with growth repression and hence need sublethal to lethal NP doses, which besides stopping fungal growth, can potentially accumulate in the environment.

Aflatoxin-Exposure of Vibrio gazogenes as a Novel System for the Generation of Aflatoxin Synthesis Inhibitors.

Aflatoxin is a mycotoxin and a secondary metabolite, and the most potent known liver carcinogen that contaminates several important crops, and represents a significant threat to public health and the economy. Available approaches reported thus far have been insufficient to eliminate this threat, and therefore provide the rational to explore novel methods for preventing aflatoxin accumulation in the environment. Many terrestrial plants and microbes that share ecological niches and encounter the aflatoxin producers have the ability to synthesize compounds that inhibit aflatoxin synthesis.

Mycoremediation with mycotoxin producers: a critical perspective.

Filamentous fungi that produce mycotoxins also demonstrate the ability to degrade a wide variety of naturally occurring and anthropogenically generated hazardous wastes. Hence, these are emerging as excellent candidates for bioremediation. Their mycelia exhibit the robustness of adapting to highly restrictive environmental conditions often experienced in the presence of persistent pollutants, which makes them more useful compared to other microbes.

Quantitative acoustic contrast tomography reveals unique multiscale physical fluctuations during aflatoxin synthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus.

Fungal pathogens need regulated mechanical and morphological fine-tuning for pushing through substrates to meet their metabolic and functional needs. Currently very little is understood on how coordinated colony level morphomechanical modifications regulate their behavior. This is due to an absence of a method that can simultaneously map, quantify, and correlate global fluctuations in physical properties of the expanding fungal colonies.