Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance
Maize is one of the major crops that are susceptible to <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination, which poses a serious health threat to humans and domestic animals. Here, an RNA interference (RNAi) approach called Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) was...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Olanike Omolehin Yenjit Raruang Dongfang Hu Zhu-Qiang Han Surassawadee Promyou Robert L. Brown Qijian Wei Kanniah Rajasekaran Jeffrey W. Cary Kan Wang Dan Jeffers Zhi-Yuan Chen |
| author_facet | Olanike Omolehin Yenjit Raruang Dongfang Hu Zhu-Qiang Han Surassawadee Promyou Robert L. Brown Qijian Wei Kanniah Rajasekaran Jeffrey W. Cary Kan Wang Dan Jeffers Zhi-Yuan Chen |
| author_sort | Olanike Omolehin |
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| description | Maize is one of the major crops that are susceptible to <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination, which poses a serious health threat to humans and domestic animals. Here, an RNA interference (RNAi) approach called Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) was employed to suppress the <i>O</i>-methyl transferase gene (<i>omtA</i>, also called <i>aflP</i>), a key gene involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. An RNAi vector carrying part of the <i>omtA</i> gene was introduced into the B104 maize line. Among the six transformation events that were positive for containing the <i>omtA</i> transgene, OmtA-6 and OmtA-10 were self-pollinated from T1 to T4, and OmtA-7 and OmtA-12 to the T6 generation. These four lines showed at least an 81.3% reduction in aflatoxin accumulation at the T3 generation under laboratory conditions. When screened under field conditions with artificial inoculation, OmtA-7 at T5 and T6 generations and OmtA-10 at T4 generation showed a reduction in aflatoxin contamination between 60% and 91% (<i>p</i> < 0.02 to <i>p</i> < 0.002). In order to develop commercial maize lines with enhanced aflatoxin resistance, the <i>omtA</i> transgene in OmtA-7 was introduced into three elite inbred lines through crossing, and the resulting crosses also exhibited significantly lower aflatoxin accumulation compared to crosses with non-transgenic controls (<i>p</i> < 0.04). In addition, high levels of <i>omtA</i>-specific small RNAs were only detected in the transgenic kernel and leaf tissues. These results demonstrate that suppression of <i>omtA</i> through HIGS can enhance maize resistance to aflatoxin contamination, and this resistance can be transferred to elite backgrounds, providing a viable and practical approach to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-6bb9d79920cc45c39aad2e5853a633822025-01-24T13:51:10ZengMDPI AGToxins2072-66512024-12-01171810.3390/toxins17010008Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin ResistanceOlanike Omolehin0Yenjit Raruang1Dongfang Hu2Zhu-Qiang Han3Surassawadee Promyou4Robert L. Brown5Qijian Wei6Kanniah Rajasekaran7Jeffrey W. Cary8Kan Wang9Dan Jeffers10Zhi-Yuan Chen11Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACash Crops Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, ChinaFaculty of Natural Resources and Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakonnakhon Province Campus, Sakonnakhon 47000, ThailandSouthern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS), New Orleans, LA 70124, USASouthern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS), New Orleans, LA 70124, USASouthern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS), New Orleans, LA 70124, USASouthern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS), New Orleans, LA 70124, USADepartment of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USAUSDA-ARS Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit, Mississippi State, Starkville, MS 39762, USADepartment of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USAMaize is one of the major crops that are susceptible to <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination, which poses a serious health threat to humans and domestic animals. Here, an RNA interference (RNAi) approach called Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) was employed to suppress the <i>O</i>-methyl transferase gene (<i>omtA</i>, also called <i>aflP</i>), a key gene involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. An RNAi vector carrying part of the <i>omtA</i> gene was introduced into the B104 maize line. Among the six transformation events that were positive for containing the <i>omtA</i> transgene, OmtA-6 and OmtA-10 were self-pollinated from T1 to T4, and OmtA-7 and OmtA-12 to the T6 generation. These four lines showed at least an 81.3% reduction in aflatoxin accumulation at the T3 generation under laboratory conditions. When screened under field conditions with artificial inoculation, OmtA-7 at T5 and T6 generations and OmtA-10 at T4 generation showed a reduction in aflatoxin contamination between 60% and 91% (<i>p</i> < 0.02 to <i>p</i> < 0.002). In order to develop commercial maize lines with enhanced aflatoxin resistance, the <i>omtA</i> transgene in OmtA-7 was introduced into three elite inbred lines through crossing, and the resulting crosses also exhibited significantly lower aflatoxin accumulation compared to crosses with non-transgenic controls (<i>p</i> < 0.04). In addition, high levels of <i>omtA</i>-specific small RNAs were only detected in the transgenic kernel and leaf tissues. These results demonstrate that suppression of <i>omtA</i> through HIGS can enhance maize resistance to aflatoxin contamination, and this resistance can be transferred to elite backgrounds, providing a viable and practical approach to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/8aflatoxin<i>Aspergillus flavus</i><i>O</i>-methyl transferase <i>(omtA)</i><i>AflP</i>host-induced gene silencingaflatoxin resistance |
| spellingShingle | Olanike Omolehin Yenjit Raruang Dongfang Hu Zhu-Qiang Han Surassawadee Promyou Robert L. Brown Qijian Wei Kanniah Rajasekaran Jeffrey W. Cary Kan Wang Dan Jeffers Zhi-Yuan Chen Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance Toxins aflatoxin <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> <i>O</i>-methyl transferase <i>(omtA)</i> <i>AflP</i> host-induced gene silencing aflatoxin resistance |
| title | Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance |
| title_full | Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance |
| title_fullStr | Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance |
| title_short | Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the <i>Aspergillus flavus O</i>-Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance |
| title_sort | host induced gene silencing of the i aspergillus flavus o i methyl transferase gene enhanced maize aflatoxin resistance |
| topic | aflatoxin <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> <i>O</i>-methyl transferase <i>(omtA)</i> <i>AflP</i> host-induced gene silencing aflatoxin resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/8 |
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