, , and are emerging preharvest maize ear rot pathogens in Ethiopia.

Fusarium ear rot (FER) and Gibberella ear rot (GER) caused by Fusarium species are major diseases affecting maize production in Ethiopia. In addition to reducing quality and yield, these fungi can produce mycotoxins that contaminate maize kernels and, thereby, pose health hazards to humans and livestock. A survey was conducted in 10 administrative zones of Ethiopia within the major maize-growing regions of the country to identify the species of Fusarium associated with ear rot.

Final piece to the Fusarium pigmentation puzzle - Unraveling of the phenalenone biosynthetic pathway responsible for perithecial pigmentation in the Fusarium solani species complex.

The Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) is comprised of important pathogens of plants and humans. A distinctive feature of FSSC species is perithecial pigmentation. While the dark perithecial pigments of other Fusarium species are derived from fusarubins synthesized by polyketide synthase 3 (PKS3), the perithecial pigments of FSSC are derived from an unknown metabolite synthesized by PKS35.

Judicial Opinion 130.

Opinion 130 deals with a Request for an Opinion asking the Judicial Commission to clarify whether the genus name Zopf 1891 (Approved Lists 1980) is illegitimate. The Request is approved and an answer is given. The name Zopf 1891 (Approved Lists 1980) is illegitimate because it is a later homonym of the validly published cyanobacterial name Hansgirg 1884.

On the Unique Morphology and Elastic Properties of Multi-Jet Electrospun Cashew Gum-Based Fiber Mats.

This study investigates the unique morphology and mechanical properties of multi-jet electrospun cashew gum (CG) when combined with high-molecular-weight polyethylene oxide (PEO) and glycerol. Cashew gum (CG) is a low-cost, non-toxic heteropolysaccharide derived from trees. Initially, the electrospinnability of aqueous solutions of cashew gum alone or in combination with PEO was evaluated.

and larval interactions shape the bacterial communities in container aquatic habitats.

Container aquatic habitats host a community of aquatic insects, primarily mosquito larvae that browse on container surface microbial biofilm and filter-feed on microorganisms in the water column. We examined how the bacterial communities in these habitats respond to feeding by larvae of two container-dwelling mosquito species, and . We also investigated how the microbiota of these larvae is impacted by intra- and interspecific interactions.

The tunicamycin derivative TunR2 exhibits potent antibiotic properties with low toxicity in an in vivo Mycobacterium marinum-zebrafish TB infection model.

Tunicamycins (TUN) are well-defined, Streptomyces-derived natural products that inhibit protein N-glycosylation in eukaryotes, and by a conserved mechanism also block bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. TUN inhibits the polyprenylphosphate-N-acetyl-hexosamine-1-phospho-transferases (PNPT), an essential family of enzymes found in both bacteria and eukaryotes. We have previously published the development of chemically modified TUN, called TunR1 and TunR2, that have considerably reduced activity on eukaryotes but that retain the potent antibacterial properties.

Analysis of substrate specificity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases involved in trichothecene toxin biosynthesis.

Trichothecenes are a structurally diverse family of toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain species of multiple fungal genera. All trichothecene analogs share a core 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene (EPT) structure but differ in presence, absence and types of substituents attached to various positions of EPT. Formation of some of the structural diversity begins early in the biosynthetic pathway such that some producing species have few trichothecene biosynthetic intermediates in common.

Does alteration of fumonisin production in Fusarium verticillioides lead to volatolome variation?

Fusarium verticillioides, a major fungal pathogen of maize, produces fumonisins, mycotoxins of global food safety concern. Control practices are needed to reduce the negative health and economic impacts of fumonisins. Therefore, we investigated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by fumonisin-producing (wild-type) and nonproducing (mutant) strains of F.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Adsorption Efficacy of Biochar Materials on Aflatoxin B, Ochratoxin A, and Zearalenone.

Mycotoxin sequestration materials are important tools to reduce mycotoxin illness and enable proper handling of mycotoxin-contaminated commodities. Three food-grade bentonite clays and four generally recognized as safe (GRAS) charcoal/biochar carbon materials that are marketed as feed additives and supplements were evaluated for their ability to sequester the mycotoxins aflatoxin B, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone. The surface area of the clays varied between 32.

Precursor-Directed Biosynthesis and Biological Testing of -Alicyclic- and -Branched Tunicamycin -Acyl Variants.

Tunicamycins (TUNs) are -derived natural products, widely used to block protein -glycosylation in eukaryotes or cell wall biosynthesis in bacteria. Modified or synthetic TUN analogues that uncouple these activities have considerable potential as novel mode-of-action antibacterial agents. Chemically modified TUNs reported previously with attenuated activity on yeast have pinpointed eukaryotic-specific chemophores in the uridyl group and the -acyl chain length and terminal branching pattern.

Novel endolysin LysMP for control of Limosilactobacillus fermentum contamination in small-scale corn mash fermentation.

Background: Traditional bioethanol fermentation industries are not operated under strict sterile conditions and are prone to microbial contamination. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are often pervasive in fermentation tanks, competing for nutrients and producing inhibitory acids that have a negative impact on ethanol-producing yeast, resulting in decreased yields and stuck fermentations. Antibiotics are frequently used to combat contamination, but antibiotic stewardship has resulted in a shift to alternative antimicrobials.

Post-Application Field Persistence and Efficacy of against .

Previously, Wf GA17, a causing agent of whitefly epizootics in southern Georgia, demonstrated superior temperature tolerance and higher virulence against the whitefly than commercial strains in the laboratory. The post-application persistence and efficacy of this fungus against were compared with that of the commercially available Apopka97 strain over a two-year field study in cotton and vegetable crops. When blastospores of both strains were applied alone, whitefly populations were not effectively suppressed.

Increased Phenoloxidase Activity Constitutes the Main Defense Strategy of Larvae against Fungal Entomopathogenic Infections.

The cabbage looper is an important agricultural pest worldwide and is frequently used as a model organism for assessing entomopathogenic fungi virulence, though few studies have measured the host response repertoire to fungal biocontrol agents. Here, we quantified the immune response of larvae following exposure to two entomopathogenic fungal species: and . Results from our study demonstrate that larvae exposed to fungal entomopathogens had higher total phenoloxidase activity compared to controls, indicating that the melanization cascade is one of the main immune components driving defense against fungal infection and contrasting observations from other insect-fungi interaction studies.

A secondary function of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase is required for resistance to oxidative and desiccation stress in Fusarium verticillioides.

The disaccharide trehalose has long been recognized for its role as a stress solute, but in recent years some of the protective effects previously ascribed to trehalose have been suggested to arise from a function of the trehalose biosynthesis enzyme trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase that is distinct from its catalytic activity. In this study, we use the maize pathogenic fungus Fusarium verticillioides as a model to explore the relative contributions of trehalose itself and a putative secondary function of T6P synthase in protection against stress as well as to understand why, as shown in a previous study, deletion of the TPS1 gene coding for T6P synthase reduces pathogenicity against maize. We report that a TPS1-deletion mutant of F.

Bioactivity of brassica seed meals and its compounds as ecofriendly larvicides against mosquitoes.

Strategic, sustainable, and ecofriendly alternatives to chemical pesticides are needed to effectively control mosquitoes and reduce the incidence of their vectored diseases. We evaluated several Brassicaceae (mustard family) seed meals as sources of plant derived isothiocyanates produced from the enzymatic hydrolysis of biologically inactive glucosinolates for the control of Aedes aegypti (L., 1762).

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.

Induction of Multiple Immune Signaling Pathways in Crickets during Overt Viral Infections.

Despite decades of focus on crickets (family: Gryllidae) as a popular commodity and model organism, we still know very little about their immune responses to microbial pathogens. Previous studies have measured downstream immune effects (e.g.

Gene drive by Fusarium SKC1 is dependent on its competing allele.

The Fusarium verticillioides SKC1 gene driver is transmitted to offspring in a biased manner through spore killing. The mechanism that allows SKC1 to kill non-SKC1 offspring while sparing others is poorly understood. Here we report that gene drive by SKC1 is dependent on SKC1's competing allele.

Identification of polyketide synthase genes required for aspinolide biosynthesis in Trichoderma arundinaceum.

The fungus Trichoderma arundinaceum exhibits biological control activity against crop diseases caused by other fungi. Two mechanisms that likely contribute to this activity are upregulation of plant defenses and production of two types of antifungal secondary metabolites: the sesquiterpenoid harzianum A (HA) and the polyketide-derived aspinolides. The goal of the current study was to identify aspinolide biosynthetic genes as part of an effort to understand how these metabolites contribute to the biological control activity of T.