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Tel 0675354498  -  E-Mail : aurelie.touya@inrae.fr  -  Linkedin :

Carrer: Aurélie has always had a passion for life sciences, and enjoys understanding how biological processes work from a molecular point of view. With a Master's degree in Microbiology-Immunology, she has completed several internships in this field, focusing on the production of biopolymers by bacterial fermentation (start-up Dionymer), or the study of the molecular dialogue between S-104 bacteria and mycotoxigenic Fusarium species (MycSA, INRAE). For her final year internship, Aurélie studied the specificity of natural extracts active on the competitive flora of Fusarium graminearum (MycSA, INRAE). She is now pursuing her scientific career in the MycSA laboratory, where she is studying the regulation of the biosynthesis of emerging mycotoxins, enniatins, by Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium tricinctum. .

Thesis topic: Regulation of the biosynthesis of emerging mycotoxins, enniatins, by Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium tricinctum

Funding: MESRI ministerial grant

Supervisers : Florence Forget and Vessela Atanasova

Summary of thesis project

The quality of cereals and cereal products is significantly affected by mycotoxin contamination of grain, and the health and economic consequences of this contamination are considerable. Among the mycotoxins of greatest concern, given their frequency and toxicity, are those produced by fusarium species. Some of these toxins have been extensively studied and are covered by European regulations (deoxynivalenol, fumonisins and zearalenone, regulation EC 1126/2007), while others, referred to as emerging toxins, are under discussion at EFSA. Among the latter are the enniatins. Our patchy knowledge of the mechanisms that modulate enniatin biosynthesis hinders the definition of control strategies, and prevents cereal industry players from guaranteeing harvests with minimal levels of contamination. It is therefore essential to gain a better understanding of the regulation of the biosynthesis of these toxins, as well as the role of this regulation in the adaptive response of producing strains to changes in their environment, in order to be able to propose sustainable strategies for controlling the risk and better anticipate its evolution.

The aim of this PhD project is not only to study the impact of oxidative stress (known to be a key factor in the accumulation of regulated mycotoxins) on the biosynthesis of enniatins, but also to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved.