Institution: | 1. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics – Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology CREA-VE, Via XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano (TV), Italy
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy;2. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics – Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology CREA-VE, Via XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano (TV), Italy;3. Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy;4. Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy
Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis (MUT), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125 Torino, Italy;5. Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis (MUT), Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Viale Mattioli 25, 10125 Torino, Italy |
Abstract: | To date, no demonstration of a direct correlation between the presence of mycoviruses and the quantitative or qualitative modulation of mycotoxins has been shown. In our study, we transfected a virus-free ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing isolate of Aspergillus ochraceus with purified mycoviruses from a different A. ochraceus isolate and from Penicillium aurantiogriseum. Among the mycoviruses tested, only Aspergillus ochraceus virus (AoV), a partitivirus widespread in A. ochraceus, caused a specific interaction that led to an overproduction of OTA, which is regulated by the European Commission and is the second most important contaminant of food and feed commodities. Gene expression analysis failed to reveal a specific viral upregulation of the mRNA of genes considered to play a role in the OTA biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, AoOTApks1, a polyketide synthase gene considered essential for OTA production, is surprisingly absent in the genome of our OTA-producing isolate. The possible biological and evolutionary implications of the mycoviral regulation of mycotoxin production are discussed. |