Study of velvet gene, veA, in Fusarium verticillioides

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的长期目标是通过针对真菌特有的主要调控基因，研究可能的分子策略来控制真菌对人类健康的有害影响。PI将重点关注霉菌毒素的生产者，镰刀菌。调控信号基因在真菌物种中趋于保守。Pi的实验室小组已经证明，天鹅绒（或veA）是一种全球性的调控基因，控制着曲霉属、模式真菌黑曲霉和植物病原体寄生曲霉的形态发育和次级代谢。有趣的是，PI发现veA在其他属的真菌中也保守，包括F. verticillioides。veA只在真菌中被发现。黄萎病镰刀菌经常侵袭美国玉米作物，产生霉菌毒素伏马菌素。伏马菌素抑制鞘脂的生物合成，导致动物脑白质软化、肺水肿、肝癌的发生和人类食道癌。事实上，veA的缺失显示了多营养效应，这表明veA在细胞的各种过程中是必需的，可能在F. verticillioides的传播、寄主植物的定植和霉菌毒素的产生中起重要作用。该PI计划通过在该真菌中产生缺失突变体并通过缺失表型研究来探索veA在F. verticillioides中的作用。这些研究将为靶向真菌保守调控基因veA的潜力提供必要的基础，以保护影响人类健康的食物供应。

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The long term goal of this project is to investigate possible molecular strategies to control the detrimental effects of fungi on human health by targeting major regulatory genes that are unique to fungi. The PI will focus on the mycotoxin producer, Fusarium vercillioides. Regulatory signaling genes tend to be conserved among fungal species. The Pi's laboratory group has demonstrated that velvet, or veA, is a global regulatory gene that controls both morphological development and secondary metabolism in species of the genus Aspergillus, the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans and in the plant pathogen Aspergillus parasiticus. Interestingly, the PI found veA to be conserved also in fungi of other genera, including F. veriticillioides. The veA has only been found in fungi. Fusarium verticillioides often infests US corn crops, producing the mycotoxin fumonisin. Fumonisins inhibit sphingolipid biosynthesis leading to leukoencephalomalacia, pulmonary edema, hepatocarcinogenesis in animals and to human esophageal cancer. The fact that deletion of veA shows pleitotrophic effects suggests that veA is necessary for various processes in the cell and could be important in F. verticillioides dissemination, colonization of host plants and mycotoxin production. The PI intends to explore the role of veA in F. verticillioides by the generation of a deletion mutant in this fungus and through the study of the deletion phenotype. These studies will provide an essential foundation on the potential of targeting the conserved fungal regulatory gene veA, to protect food supplies that impact human health.