Genetic Differentiation Associated with Fumonisin and Gibberellin Production in Japanese Fusarium fujikuroi

Abstract

Fusarium fujikuroi is a pathogenic fungus that causes rice bakanae disease. Historically, this pathogen has been known as Fusarium moniliforme , along with many other species based on a broad species concept. Gibberellin, which is currently known as a plant hormone, is a virulence factor of F. fujikuroi . Fumonisin is a carcinogenic mycotoxin posing a serious threat to food and feed safety. Although it has been confirmed that F. fujikuroi produces gibberellin and fumonisin, production varies among strains, and individual production has been obscured by the traditional appellation of F. moniliforme , difficulties in species identification, and variation in the assays used to determine the production of these secondary metabolites. In this study, we discovered two phylogenetic subgroups associated with fumonisin and gibberellin production in Japanese F. fujikuroi .