Inhibition of fengycins on the production of fumonisin B1 from Fusarium verticillioides

Aim:  To understand the role of fengycins in regulating the fumonisin B1 (FB1) production of Fusarium verticillioides. Methods and Results:  The mass ratio of FB1 to mycelia was determined in order to identify the effect of fengycins on FB1 production. It was shown that the amount of FB1 produced by unit mass mycelia decreased to 28% of the control. Results from mycelia resuspension with fengycins also demonstrated that fengycins had a potent impact on FB1 production. Gene expression patterns using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) revealed that the transcriptional levels of both FUM1 and FUM8 (coding enzymes for the generation of FB1) were down-regulated with fengycin treatment. Conclusions:  Fengycins could down-regulate the transcription of some key genes involved in the production of FB1, and impair FB1 synthesis by F. verticillioides. Significance and Impact of the Study:  These results further improved our understanding of fengycins as the potential candidates to control FB1 contamination in crops and food.