Enzymatic detoxification of Don in transgenic plants via expression of Fusarium graminearum Tri101 gene

Fusarium graminearum is causal agent of economically catastrophic disease of cereal Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) around the world. In addition to causing a loss of yield, this fungus causes serious threats to humans and animals due to the contamination of grain with the trichothecene mycotoxin. TRI101 gene, a Fusarium spp. gene, encodes an enzyme that transfers an acetyl group to the C3 hydroxyl of trichothecenes. We introduced TRI101 gene from F. graminearum to tobacco to test its usefulness for decontamination of mycotoxins. The acetyltransferase activity of this gene was detected in transgenic plants. The growth pattern of T1 seedling was examined at present of deoxynivalenol (DON) and crude extract of mycotoxin. A significant difference in growth rate was seen in plants expressing TRI101 as compared to wild type in DON assay. There was no significant difference in growth rate of the wild type and transgenic plants in presence of a mixture of mycotoxins. According to the results, it seems although FgTRI101 enzyme is suitable for detoxification of DON, more studies are required to evaluate its performance in detoxification of mixture of Fusarium toxins.