Mycotoxin Biosynthesis and Genetic Transformation Systems in Fungi

Dear Colleagues,

Fungi produce tens of thousands of natural products that are diverse in structure and biological activity. Most are considered secondary metabolites because they are not essential for growth or development. The biosynthesis of these metabolites is of interest because of the pharmaceutical properties of some (e.g., antibiotics, immunosuppressants) and toxicity of others to plants, livestock animals, and humans. The study of the genes required for the biosynthesis of animal/human toxins (i.e., mycotoxins) has been the focus of research labs around the world during the last several decades. The development of next-generation genome sequencing methods has revolutionized the identification of the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites. However, the demonstration of the role of a gene in biosynthesis typically requires a labor-intensive process of targeted gene deletion analysis, which in turn requires the development of efficient fungal transformation procedures. This methodology has existed for decades, but has recently been advanced by the emerging application of CRISPR-based gene editing techniques. Together, genome sequencing, fungal transformation and CRISPR-based methods have the potential to lead to tremendous advances in our understanding of the biosynthesis and control of mycotoxins.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original articles that address the recent advances and challenges in the biosynthesis of mycotoxins including but not limited to:

Polyketides (e.g., aflatoxins, ochratoxin, aurofusarin, citrinin, fumonisins, botcinins, etc.)
Non-ribosomal peptides- or amino acid-derived compounds (e.g., ergot alkaloids, siderophores, HC-toxin, AM-toxin, etc.)
Terpenes (e.g., botryanes, trichothecenes, culmorin, etc.)

Dr. Santiago Gutierrez
Dr. Susan P. McCormick
Dr. Robert H. Proctor
Dr. Francesco Vinale
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• mycotoxin biosynthesis
• fungal gene clusters
• fungal genetic transformation
• fungal gene edition