Fumonisin

The fumonisins are a group of mycotoxins derived from Fusarium, Liseola section.^[1] They have strong structural similarity to sphinganine, the backbone precursor of sphingolipids^[2]

More specifically, it can refer to:

• Fumonisin B1
• Fumonisin B2
• Fumonisin B3

The trichothecene (T-2) mycotoxins are a group of over 40 compounds produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium, a common grain mold.^[3]

The estrogenic metabolite, zearalenone, is also referred to as F-2 toxin.^[4]

As the fumonisins appear to be non-genotoxic the possibility that they belong to another class of non-genotoxic carcinogens, the peroxisome proliferators, was investigated^[5]

Genetic engineering is reported as a promising means of detoxifying mycotoxins. This approach may provide innovative solutions to the problem of fumonisin in corn.^[6]

At least 15 different fumonisins have so far been reported and other minor metabolites have been identified, although most of them have not been shown to occur naturally.^[7] In 2015, a unique class of non-aminated fumonisins^[8] was reported on grapes infected with Aspergillus welwitschia, although their toxicities have not yet been established.

References

1. Fumonisins at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
2. Gelderblom, Wentzel C. A.; Marasas, Walter F. O.; Vleggaar, R.; Thiel, Pieter G.; Cawood, M. E. (February 1992). "Fumonisins: Isolation, chemical characterization and biological effects". Mycopathologia 117 (1-2): 11–16. doi:10.1007/BF00497273. PMID 1513367.
3. USAMRIID's Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook, 6th Ed. McLean, VA: International Medical Publishing, Inc. 2005. pp. 102–103. ISBN 1-58808-162-1.
4. Marasas, W.F.O.; Paul E. Nelson (1987). Mycotoxicology: Introduction to the Mycology, Plant Pathology, Chemistry, Toxicology, and Pathology of Naturally Occurring Mycotoxicoses In Animals and Man. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-271-00442-8.
5. Jackson, Lauren S.; Jonathan W. DeVries; Lloyd B. Bullerman (1996). Fumonisins In Food. New York, NY: Plenum Press. p. 289. ISBN 0-306-45216-2.
6. "Reduced contamination by the Fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone in maize kernels through genetic modification with a detoxification gene.". Appl Environ Microbiol 73 (5): 1622–9. March 2007. doi:10.1128/aem.01077-06.
7. Marasas, W.F.O.; J.D. Miller; R.T. Riley; A. Visconti (2000). Environmental Health Criteria 219: Fumonisin B1. Vammala, Finland: World Health Organization. p. 9. ISBN 92-4-157219-1.
8. Renaud, J.B.R; M.J Kelman; Tianyu F. Qi; K.A. Seifert; M.W. Sumarah (2015). Product ion filtering with rapid polarity switching for the detection of all fumonisins and AAL-toxins. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry Volume 29, Issue 22, 30 November 2015, Pages 2131–2139.