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Gliotoxin – bane or boon?
Author(s) -
Scharf Daniel H.,
Brakhage Axel A.,
Mukherjee Prasun K.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.13080
Subject(s) - gliotoxin , biology , aspergillus fumigatus , trichoderma , pathogen , aspergillosis , microbiology and biotechnology , aspergillus , virulence , pathogenicity , biological pest control , fungus , fungal pathogen , botany , genetics , gene
Summary Gliotoxin ( GT ) is the most important epidithiodioxopiperazine ( ETP )‐type fungal toxin. GT was originally isolated from T richoderma species as an antibiotic substance involved in biological control of plant pathogenic fungi. A few isolates of GT ‐producing T richoderma virens are commercially marketed for biological control and widely used in agriculture. Furthermore, GT is long known as an immunosuppressive agent and also reported to have anti‐tumour properties. However, recent publications suggest that GT is a virulence determinant of the human pathogen A spergillus fumigatus . This compound is thus important on several counts – it has medicinal properties, is a pathogenicity determinant, is a potential diagnostic marker and is important in biological crop protection. The present article addresses this paradox and the ecological role of GT . We discuss the function of GT as defence molecule, the role in aspergillosis and suggest solutions for safe application of T richoderma ‐based biofungicides.