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The aflatoxins, which, indeed, derived their names from the name of the fungus Aspergillus flavus are considered as the most potent carcinogenic secondary metabolites that contaminates several types of crops either before and/or after harvest, especially oilseed crops, involving maize, peanut, cottonseed and tree nuts and other crops like cereals, fruets in addition to food products and feedstuff that causes worldwide annual losses reached to 225 million dollars as a direct damage according to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), while indirect impact is represented by affecting human and animal health. Aflatoxin biosynthesis is controlled by 25 genes cluster, 23 of them are structural genes and 2 regulatory genes, the main one is aflR which is responsible for most if not all the transcriptional activation of structural biosynthesis pathway and the structural gene aflD which is needed to start first actual step in AF B1 biosynthesis. The objective of this work focused on the control the expression of those genes biologically to control AF B1 production.
About the author
Dr. Labeed A. N. Al-Saad obtained his PhD in Biotechnology from college of Science, Basrah Univ., Iraq in a coordination with Cranfield Univ., UK. He has a Msc. in Plant Pathology-Mycotoxins from College of Agriculture, Basrah Univ. in a coordination with Baghdad Univ., Iraq. Currently work as a lecturer in the Basrah Univ., College of Agriculture.
