Matias Pasquali

University of Milan | UNIMI · Department of Food, Enviromental and Nutritional Sciences DEFENS

This review summarises the genetic methods used for chemotype determination of the main Fusarium type B-trichothecene producing species. Literature on Fusarium chemotype epidemiology over the last 15 years is reviewed in order to describe temporal and spatial chemotype distribution of these fungi worldwide. Genetic approaches used for chemotype det...

is one of the most harmful pathogens of durum wheat and is the causal agent of foot and root rot (FRR) disease. produces the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) that is involved in the pathogenic process. The role of the gene , a StuA ortholog protein with an APSES domain sharing 98.5% homology to the protein (FGSG10129), was determined by functional ch...

Fumonisins, toxic secondary metabolites produced by some Fusarium spp. and Aspergillus niger, have strong agro-economic and health impacts. The genes needed for their biosynthesis, named FUM, are clustered and co-expressed in fumonisin producers. In eukaryotes, coordination of transcription can be attained through shared transcription factors, whos...

Ciborinia camelliae Kohn is a camellia pathogen belonging to family Sclerotiniaceae, infecting only flowers of camellias. To better understand the virulence mechanism in this species, the draft genome sequence of the Italian strain of C. camelliae was obtained with a hybrid approach, combining Illumina HiSeq paired reads and MinIon Nanopore long-re...

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop, widely grown throughout the temperate zones, and also suitable for cultivation at higher elevations. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a highly destructive disease of wheat throughout the globe. In July 2020, serious wheat FHB symptoms were observed in open fields located in Linzhi City, southe...

Streptomycetes are promising candidates for the biological control of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in wheat. Studies involving the use of streptomycetes as biological control agents (BCAs) have been limited to the application when the wheat plant is developed, close to the infection on the spike during flowering. Here, we tested the effects of seed t...

Recent improvements in microbiology and molecular epidemiology were largely stimulated by whole- genome sequencing (WGS), which provides an unprecedented resolution in discriminating highly related genetic backgrounds. WGS is becoming the method of choice in epidemiology of fungal diseases, but its application is still in a pioneer stage, mainly du...

In marginal lands, cereal landraces continue to be important in agricultural production, whereas hybrids lose their competitive advantage. In this context, selection for adaptation to each environment is particularly important in crops grown under unfavourable conditions, e.g., mountain areas. In this work, from a panel of traditional and modern va...

Fusarium musae has recently been described as a cross-kingdom pathogen causing post-harvest disease in bananas and systemic and superficial infection in humans. The taxonomic identity of fungal cross-kingdom pathogens is essential for confirming the identification of the species on distant infected hosts. Understanding the level of variability with...

Ciborinia camelliae is the causal agent of camellia flower blight (CFB). It is a hemibiotrophic pathogen, inoperculate Discomycete of the family Sclerotiniaceae. It shows host and organ specificity infecting only flowers of species belonging to the genus Camellia, causing serious damage to the ornamental component of the plant. In this work, the fi...

Ciborinia camelliae Kohn is the causal agent of camellia flower blight. The pathogen infects only flowers of camellias, causing serious damage to the plant. Seventy-one strains were collected from six Italian regions and were characterized at the phenotypic and genetic level. Morphotypes were identified based on their phenotypic differences in cult...

Recent improvements in microbiology and molecular epidemiology were largely stimulated by whole- genome sequencing (WGS), which provides an unprecedented resolution in discriminating highly related genetic backgrounds. WGS is becoming the method of choice in epidemiology of fungal diseases, but its application is still in a pioneer stage, mainly du...

The present work aimed to characterize the molecular relationships between structure and function of the seed storage protein β-vignin, the vicilin storage protein of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, l. Walp) seeds. The molecular characterization of β-vignin was carried out firstly by assessing its thermal stability, under different conditions of pH and...

Purpose Bacteria belonging to the Streptomyces genus can be exploited in environmentally friendly approaches to food safety. Genome information can help to characterize bioactive strains opening the possibility to decipher their mechanisms of action. Methods The biocontrol and plant growth-promoting activity of two Streptomyces spp. strains, DEF1A...

Fusarium musae belongs to the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. It causes crown rot disease in banana but also keratitis and skin infections as well as systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. Antifungal treatments in clinical and agricultural settings rely mostly on molecules belonging to the azole class. Given the potential risk of pa...

Fusarium musae causes crown rot of banana and it is also associated to clinical fusariosis. A chromosome-level genome assembly of F. musae F31 obtained combining Nanopore long reads and Illumina paired-end reads resulted in 12 chromosomes plus one contig with overall N 50 of 4.36 Mb, and is presented together with its mitochondrial genome (58,072 b...

Okara is a soybean transformation agri-food by-product, the massive production of which currently poses severe disposal issues. However, its composition is rich in seed storage proteins, which, once extracted, can represent an interesting source of bioactive peptides. Antimicrobial and antifungal proteins and peptides have been described in plant s...

Grapevine powdery mildew is a principal fungal disease of grapevine worldwide. Even though it usually does not cause plant death directly, heavy infections can lead to extensive yield losses, and even low levels of the disease can negatively affect the quality of the wine. Therefore, intensive spraying programs are commonly applied to control the d...

Dictyophora rubrovolvata is an important edible mushroom that is widely cultivated in China. In 2019, a serious rot disease on D. rubrovolvata was observed in a mushroom production facility located in Ce Heng County, Southwest of Guizhou Province, China. The causal agent was identified as Trichoderma koningiopsis by amplification and sequencing of...

Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. Previously (Geiser et al. 2013; Phytopathology 103:400-408. 2013), the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agr...

Streptomyces spp. can be exploited as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against plant pathogens such as Fusarium graminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and against the contamination of grains with deoxynivalenol (DON). In the present research, four Streptomyces strains active against F. graminearum in dual plate assays were charact...

Fusarium circinatum, the causal agent of pine pitch canker (PPC), is currently one of the most important threats of Pinus spp. globally. This pathogen is known in many pine-growing regions, including natural and planted forests, and can affect all life stages of trees, from emerging seedlings to mature trees. Despite the importance of PPC, the glob...

Much of the mitogenome variation observed in fungal lineages seems driven by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which have invaded their genomes throughout evolution. The variation in the distribution and nucleotide diversity of these elements appears to be the main distinction between different fungal taxa, making them promising candidates for diagno...

Demethylase inhibitors (DMIs) also referred to as azoles or triazoles are currently the main fungicides used for controlling Fusarium diseases and associated toxins in cereals. DMIs also represent an important class of fungicides used in the medical domain. The level of sensitivity of a set of F. graminearum strains (n = 23), collected over the per...

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most frequently detected mycotoxin in beer. This study represents a comprehensive assessment of DON occurrence in beers from the Italian market. Seventy-two craft and industrial beer samples were tested using the RIDASCREEN DON® ELISA method. DON was found in all samples. The average DON contamination was 34.3 !g/L (rang...

Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species on cereals represent a major concern for food safety worldwide. Fusarium toxins that are currently under regulation for their content in food include trichothecenes, fumonisins, and zearalenone. Biological control of Fusarium spp. has been widely explored with the aim of limiting disease occurrence, but few e...

Selection of biological control agents (BCA) profits from an integrated study of the tripartite interactions occurring among the BCA, the plant and the pathogen. The environment plays a crucial role in the efficacy of BCA, therefore, the selection process shall utmost mimic naturally occurring conditions. To identify effective biocontrol strains ag...

Fusarium circinatum is a harmful pathogenic fungus mostly attacking Pinus species and also Pseudotsuga menziesii, causing cankers in trees of all ages, damping-off in seedlings, and mortality in cuttings and mother plants for clonal production. This fungus is listed as a quarantine pest in several parts of the world and the trade of potentially con...

Biocontrol microorganisms are emerging as an effective alternative to pesticides. Ideally, biocontrol agents (BCAs) for the control of fungal plant pathogens should be selected by an in vitro method that is high-throughput and is predictive of in planta efficacy, possibly considering environmental factors, and the natural diversity of the pathogen....

Fusarium culmorum is the most commonly reported root rot pathogen in Tunisian durum wheat. Isolates of the pathogen from four durum wheat growing areas in the north of Tunisia were analyzed for their chemotypes. Two chemotypes were detected at unequal abundance (96% of 3-ADON and 4% of NIV). Distribution of a SNP mutation located at the position 34...

Fusarium culmorum is the most commonly reported root rot pathogen in Tunisian durum wheat. Isolates of the pathogen from four durum wheat growing areas in the north of Tunisia were analyzed for their chemotypes. Two chemotypes were detected at unequal abundance (96% of 3-ADON and 4% of NIV). Distribution of a SNP mutation located at the position 34...

Over an eight-year period, 686 winter wheat grain samples and information on their cropping history were obtained from Swiss growers. To estimate the risk of Fusarium head blight (FHB), grains were examined for Fusarium species incidence, mycotoxin content as well as the abundance of F. graminearum (FG) and F. poae (FP) DNA and three chemotypes, 15...

The 2007-2017 survey in Luxembourg showed a strong variation in the distribution of the Fusarium species and mycotoxin content when comparing different years. The F. graminearum strains of the 15-ADON chemotype were predominant over the entire population compared to the NIV chemotype, which remained very much in the minority. Despite the prepondera...

Ciborinia camelliae Kohn is the causal agent of camellia flower blight, a severe disease that affects plants of the genus Camellia L. This review provides an overview on the studies published in international as well as in specialized journals and Ph.D. theses during the last seventeen years. It summarizes the existing information and highlights th...

Fusarium culmorum is a ubiquitous, soil-borne fungus (ascomycete) causing foot and root rot and Fusarium head blight on cereals. It is responsible for yield and quality losses as well as grain contamination with mycotoxins, which are a potential health hazard. An extremely sensitive mitochondrial-based qPCR assay (FcMito qPCR) for quantification of...

The authors wish to correct Figures 3–5 in this paper [1]. In all three figures, the y axis stated as a unit “milligram/kg” (mg/kg) instead of “microgram/kg” (µg/kg).

The two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis method is a valuable approach for proteomics. The method, using cyanine fluorescent dyes, allows the co-migration of multiple protein samples in the same gel and their simultaneous detection, thus reducing experimental and analytical time. 2D-DIGE, compared to traditional post-staining 2D-PAGE prot...

To assess the occurrence of Fusarium toxins in wheat in Switzerland, an eight-year survey was conducted by analysing a total of 686 harvest samples from growers using LC-MS/MS. Between 2007 and 2010, 527 samples were obtained from 17 cantons. Between 2011 and 2014, 159 samples were collected from the canton Berne. The most frequent toxins detected...

Fusarium culmorum is a soil-borne fungal pathogen able to cause foot and root rot and Fusarium head blight on small grain cereals, particularly on wheat and barley. It causes significant yield and quality loss and results in the contamination of kernels with type B trichothecene mycotoxins. Knowledge on pathogenicity factors of this fungus is still...

Wheat stripe rust (caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) is a major threat in most wheat growing regions worldwide, which potentially causes substantial yield losses when environmental conditions are favorable. Data from 1999 to 2015 for three representative wheat-growing sites in Luxembourg were used to develop a threshold-based weather m...

Fusarium graminearum sampled during 6 years in Luxembourg. Every year, at least 15 fields were sampled in different geographic locations in the country. Depending on the year, the species was more or less present. The NIV chemotype disappeared in the last 4 years of sampling in this species.

(A) Fusarium graminearum and (B) Fusarium culmorum chemotype distribution within each participating country in % of all samples analyzed (n). 3-ADON, 3-acetyldeoxyniavlenol; 15-ADON, 15-acetyldeoxyniavlenol; NIV, nivalenol.

Instruction to upload new dataset on the database and an output example for a given strain.

Template for participants of the original initiative.

Fusarium species, particularly Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum, are the main cause of trichothecene type B contamination in cereals. Data on the distribution of Fusarium trichothecene genotypes in cereals in Europe are scattered in time and space. Furthermore, a common core set of related variables (sampling method, host cultivar, previous cro...

Agmatine and other putrescines are known for being strong inducers of deoxynivalenol (DON) production in Fusarium graminearum . Other important species produce DON and/or other trichothecene type B toxins (3 acetylated DON, 15 acetylated DON, Fusarenon-X, Nivalenol), such as F. culmorum and F. poae . In order to verify whether the mechanism of the...

Raw data Toxins values and mass values recorded for each biological replicates used in this study.

Average values with standard deviation of FusarenonX, Nivalenol, 3 Acetylated deoxynivalenol, 15 Acetylated deoxynivalenol, Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone measured for each strain Toxin values are expressed in ng of toxin per ml of liquid medium per mg of mycelium In yellow the cases where major toxin produced did not corresponded to the genetic ch...

Data specific to 486 strains belonging to Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum were manually collected from Luxembourg field monitoring campaigns between the year 2007 ad 2013. It is of interest to store such data in a web-enabled advanced database to help in epidemiological studies. Hence, we describe the design and development of a Fusarium...

2D DIGE proteomics data obtained from three strains belonging to Fusarium graminearum s.s. species growing in a glutamic acid or agmatine containing medium are provided. A total of 381 protein species have been identified which do differ for abundance among the two treatments and among the strains (ANOVA±1.3). Data on the diversity of protein speci...

Agmatine and other putrescines are known strong inducers of deoxynivalenol (DON) production in Fusarium graminearum. Other important cereal species produce DON and/or other trichothecene type B toxins (3 acetylated DON, 15 Acetylated DON, Fusarenon-X, Nivalenol) such as F. culmorum and F. poae. In order to verify if the mechanism of regulation of t...

Agmatine and other putrescines are known strong inducers of deoxynivalenol (DON) production in Fusarium graminearum. Other important cereal species produce DON and/or other trichothecene type B toxins (3 acetylated DON, 15 Acetylated DON, Fusarenon-X, Nivalenol) such as F. culmorum and F. poae. In order to verify if the mechanism of regulation of t...

A b s t r a c t Twenty managed honey bee colonies, split between 5 apiaries with 4 hives each, were monitored between the summer of 2011 and spring of 2013. Living bees were sampled in July 2011, July 2012, and August 2012. Twenty-five, medium-aged bees, free of var-roa mites, were pooled per colony and date, to form one sample. Unlike in France an...

Soy products are a main component of animal feed. Because mycotoxins may harm farm animals, undermining productivity and health, a mycological and toxigenic screening was carried out on 36 batches used in animal feed, collected in 2008, 2009 and 2010 in Italy. The investigated mycoflora of a subset of soy seed (n = 6) suggested that Aspergillus spp...

Environmental conditions in Sardinia (Tyrrhenian Islands) are conductive to Fusarium Root Rot (FRR) and Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). A monitoring survey on wheat was carried out during the years 2001-2013, investigating relations among these diseases and their incitants. FHB was more frequently encountered in the most recent years while FRR was cons...