Metabolic conversions of trichothecene mycotoxins: biotransformation of 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol into fusarenon-X.

The trichothecene mycotoxin 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol was transformed by cultures of the diacetoxyscirpenol producer Fusarium sp. strain C37410-90 into four compounds, identified as deoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 3,15-diacetyldeoxynivalenol and fusarenon-X. The major transformations are the result of specific esterification and de-esterification processes, but the production of fusarenon-X involves in addition a novel 4 beta-hydroxylation of the trichothecene ring system itself.