@article {47452, title = {Aspergillus derived mycotoxins in food and the environment: prevalence, detection, and toxicity}, journal = {Toxicology Reports }, volume = {8}, year = {2021}, month = {JAN}, pages = {1008-1030}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Aspergillus\ species are the paramount ubiquitous fungi that contaminate various food substrates and produce biochemicals known as mycotoxins. Aflatoxins (AFTs), ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin (PAT), citrinin (CIT), aflatrem (AT), secalonic acids (SA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), terrein (TR), sterigmatocystin (ST) and gliotoxin (GT), and other toxins produced by species of\ Aspergillus\ plays a major role in food and human health. Mycotoxins exhibited wide range of toxicity to the humans and animal models even at nanomolar (nM) concentration. Consumption of detrimental mycotoxins adulterated foodstuffs affects human and animal health even trace amounts. Bioaerosols consisting of spores and hyphal fragments are active elicitors of bronchial irritation and allergy, and challenging to the public health.\ Aspergillus\ is the furthermost predominant environmental contaminant unswervingly defile lives with a 40{\textendash}90 \% mortality risk in patients with conceded immunity. Genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics approaches useful for mycotoxins{\textquoteright} detection which are expensive. Antibody based detection of toxins chemotypes may result in cross-reactivity and uncertainty. Aptamers (APT) are single stranded DNA (ssDNA/RNA), are specifically binds to the target molecules can be generated by systematic evolution of ligands through exponential enrichment (SELEX). APT are fast, sensitive, simple, in-expensive, and field-deployable rapid point of care (POC) detection of toxins, and a better alternative to antibodies.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.04.013}, author = {Navale, Vishwambar and Vamkudoth, Koteswara Rao and Ajmera, Shanthipriya and Dhuri, Vaibhavi} } @article {48093, title = {Assembly, annotation, and comparative whole genome sequence of fusarium verticillioides isolated from stored maize grains}, volume = {11}, year = {2022}, month = {JUL}, pages = {810}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Fusarium verticillioides is a plant pathogenic fungus affecting a wide range of crops worldwide due to its toxigenic properties. F. verticillioides BIONCL4 strain was isolated from stored maize grain samples in India, and produces high amount of fumonisin B1 (FB1). We report a comparative genomic analysis of F. verticillioides, covering the basic genome information, secretome, and proteins involved in host-pathogen interactions and mycotoxin biosynthesis. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed using the Illumina platform with an assembly size of 42.91 Mb, GC content of 48.24\%, and 98.50\% coverage with the reference genome (GCA000149555). It encodes 15,053 proteins, including 2058 secretory proteins, 676 classical secretory proteins, and 569 virulence and pathogenicity-related proteins. There were also 1447 genes linked to carbohydrate active enzymes (CaZymes) and 167 genes related to mycotoxin production. Furthermore, F. verticillioides genome comparison revealed information about the species{\textquoteright} evolutionary history. The overall study helps in disease prevention and management of mycotoxins to ensure food safety.

}, keywords = {comparative genomics, Fusarium verticillioides, mycotoxin biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, Secretome, whole-genome sequencing}, doi = {10.3390/pathogens11070810}, author = {Navale, Vishwambar D. and Sawant, Amol M. and Gowda, Varun U. and Vamkudoth, Koteswara Rao} }