A Novel Trichothecene Toxin Phenotype Associated with Horizontal Gene Transfer and a Change in Gene Function in .

trichothecenes are among the mycotoxins of most concern to food and feed safety. Production of these mycotoxins and presence of the trichothecene biosynthetic gene () cluster have been confirmed in only two multispecies lineages of : the - (Incarnatum) and (Sambucinum) species complexes. Here, we identified and characterized a cluster in a species that has not been formally described and is represented by sp. NRRL 66739. This fungus is reported to be a member of a third lineage: the species complex. Cultures of NRRL 66739 accumulated only two trichothecenes, 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin and 7-hydroxyisotrichodermol. Although these are not novel trichothecenes, the production profile of NRRL 66739 is novel, because in previous reports 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin and 7-hydroxyisotrichodermol were components of mixtures of 6-8 trichothecenes produced by several species in Sambucinum. Heterologous expression analysis indicated that the gene in NRRL 66739 confers trichothecene 7-hydroxylation. This contrasts the trichothecene 4-hydroxylation function of in other species. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that NRRL 66739 acquired the cluster via horizontal gene transfer from a close relative of Incarnatum and Sambucinum. These findings provide insights into evolutionary processes that have shaped the distribution of trichothecene production among species and the structural diversity of the toxins.