Title |
Isolation and characterization of Aspergillus flavus strains in China |
Author |
Firew Tafesse Mamo1,2, Bo Shang3, Jonathan Nimal Selvaraj4, Yan Wang1,2, and Yang Liu1,2* |
Address |
1Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, P. R. China, 2Key Laboratory of Agro-products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100193, P. R. China, 3Academy of State Administration of Grain, Beijing 100037, P. R. China, 4The College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China |
Bibliography |
Journal of Microbiology, 56(2),119–127, 2018,
|
DOI |
10.1007/s12275-018-7144-1
|
Key Words |
aflatoxin, Aspergillus flavus, atoxigenic strain,
cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), toxigenic strains, biocontrol |
Abstract |
Important staple foods (peanuts, maize and rice) are susceptible
to contamination by aflatoxin (AF)-producing fungi such
as Aspergillus flavus. The objective of this study was to explore
non-aflatoxin-producing (atoxigenic) A. flavus strains
as biocontrol agents for the control of AFs. In the current
study, a total of 724 A. flavus strains were isolated from different
regions of China. Polyphasic approaches were utilized
for species identification. Non-aflatoxin and non-cyclopiazonic
acid (CPA)-producing strains were further screened
for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) biosynthesis pathway gene clusters
using a PCR assay. Strains lacking an amplicon for the regulatory
gene aflR were then analyzed for the presence of the
other 28 biosynthetic genes. Only 229 (32%) of the A. flavus
strains were found to be atoxigenic. Smaller (S) sclerotial phenotypes
were dominant (51%) compared to large (L, 34%) and
non-sclerotial (NS, 15%) phenotypes. Among the atoxigenic
strains, 24 strains were PCR-negative for the fas-1 and aflJ
genes. Sixteen (67%) atoxigenic A. flavus strains were PCRnegative
for 10 or more of the biosynthetic genes. Altogether,
18 new PCR product patterns were observed, indicating great
diversity in the AFB1 biosynthesis pathway. The current study
demonstrates that many atoxigenic A. flavus strains can be
isolated from different regions of China. In the future laboratory
as well as field based studies are recommended to test
these atoxigenic strains as biocontrol agents for aflatoxin
contamination. |