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EFFECT OF FUMONISINS AND FUSARIUM MONILIFORME CULTURE EXTRACTS TO A BABY HAMPSTER KIDNEY CELL LINE. Krishanthi Abeywickrama, Dept. of Botany, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; G. A. Bean, Dept. of Botany, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-82-718.

Fusarium moni1iforme was isolated from feed corn associated with leukoencephalomalacia (LEM) in horses & non-LEM corn. A baby hampster kidney cell line (BHK-21) grown in microtiter plate wells was exposed to culture extracts of 4 isolates of F. moniliforme, fumonisins and 1% methanol (control). The soluble protein content was measured by spectrophotometry & cell counts were also determined for 5 days. Protein in control cells increased from 167 to 360 µg/well and cells increased 9 fold (2×10⁴ - 18×10⁴) by the 4th day. Cells exposed to culture extracts (20-40 µl/well) or fumonisin B₁ or B₂ (5-20 µl/µl/well) showed a decrease in the protein content from 167 to between 0 & 86 µg/well indicating inhibition of proliferation and cytotoxicity to BHK-21 cells. Response of mammalian cells such as BHK-21 to Fusarium spp. toxins is a sensitive method to detect mycotoxins in foods and feeds.