Hege Divon, PhD

Toxinology Research Group
Norwegian Veterinary Institute
Elizabeth Stephansens vei 1
1433 Ås
NorwayTel.: +47/473 33 817
E-mail: hege.divon@vetinst.no

Cristin
Researchgate

Research interests

I am primarily interested in fungal biology, virulence, and mycotoxin production and how it affects food and feed safety. Of particular interest are Fusarium spp. causing Fusarium head blight in small grain cereals (i.e. Fusarium graminearum, F. langsethiae, F. avenaceum). I am using molecular methods for detection, quantification and studies of gene expression to understand the fungal biology and niche specification.

Background

I have a Master in plant biotechnology from NMBU/ Norway, and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the Weizmann Institute of Science/ Israel. Work experience from plant developmental biology at NMBU (2006–2007) and post doc at Bioforsk (2008–2012) working with F. langsethiae in oats. I have since 2012 a permanent position as scientist at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, working with fungi, mycotoxins, and food and feed safety.

Ongoing projects

MycoSafeBread – Innovative cereal processing methods to produce mycotoxin-safe bread (2020-2023).

Endograss

Seq-TECH

EJP IMPART

Slimy

ResAzoleNet

Recent projects

FUNtox – Fungi and mycotoxins in a «One Health» perspective (2015-2018).

MycoProcess – Mycotoxins in cereal based food products of wheat and oats – effect of processing on free/masked mycotoxins and human risk assessment (2014-2017).

OBTAIN

Articles

  • Uhlig, S.; Rangel-Huerta, O. D.; Divon, H. H.; Rolén, E.; Pauchon, K.; Sumarah, M. W.; Vrålstad, T.; Renaud, J. B., Unraveling the ergot alkaloid and indole diterpenoid metabolome in the Claviceps purpurea species complex using LC–HRMS/MS diagnostic fragmentation filtering. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2021, 69 (25), 7137-7148.
  • Hole, A. S.; Rud, I.; Sahlstrøm, S.; Ivanova, L.; Eriksen, G. S.; Divon, H. H., Heat-induced reduction of deoxynivalenol and its modified forms during flaking and cooking of oat. World Mycotoxin Journal 2021, 0, 1-12.
  • Divon HH, Bøe L, Tveit MMN, Klemsdal SS. Infection pathways and penetration modes of Fusarium langsethiae. European Journal of Plant Pathology 2019, 154, 259-271.
  • Hege H. Divon, Lise Bøe, Martha M.N. Tveit, and Sonja S. Klemsdal. 2018. Infection pathways and penetration modes of Fusarium langsethiae. Eur J Plant Path. doi : 10.1007/s10658-018-01653-3.
  • Hannah Reynolds, Jason C. Slot, Hege H. Divon, Erik Lysøe, Robert H. Proctor, and Daren W. Brown. 2017. Differential retention of gene functions in a secondary metabolite cluster. Molecular Biology and Evolution; doi: 10.1093/molbev/msx145.
  • L. Ivanova, S. Sahlstrøm, I. Rud, S. Uhlig, C. K. Fæste, G. S. Eriksen, and H. H. Divon. 2016. Effect of primary processing on the distribution of free and modified Fusarium mycotoxins in naturally contaminated oats. World Mycotoxin Journal 10 (1), 73–88; doi.org/10.3920/WMJ2016.2092.
  • Erik Lysøe, Rasmus J.N. Frandsen, Hege H. Divon, Valeria Terzi, Luigi Orrù, Antonella Lamontanara, Anna-Karin Kolseth, Kristian F. Nielsen, Ulf Thrane. 2016. Draft genome sequence and chemical profiling of Fusarium langsethiae, an emerging producer of type A trichothecenes. International Journal of Food Microbiology 221: 29–36.
  • E. Lysøe, L.J. Harris, S. Walkowiak, R. Subramaniam, H. H. Divon, E.S. Riiser, C.Llorens, T. Gabaldon, H. C. Kistler, W. Jonkers, A-K. Kolseth, K. F. Nielsen, U. Thrane, R. J.N. Frandsen (2014) The genome of the generalist plant pathogen Fusarium avenaceum is enriched with genes involved in redox, signaling and secondary metabolism. PLOS ONE 9: e112703.
  • Hege H. Divon, Jafar Razzaghian, Heidi Udnes-Aamot, and Sonja S. Klemsdal (2012) Fusarium langsethiae (Torp and Nirenberg), investigation of alternative infection routes in oats. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 132: 147-161.
  • Lene T. Olsen, Hege H. Divon, Ronald Al, Kjetil Fosnes, Stein Erik Lid, Hilde-Gunn Opsahl-Sorteberg (2008) The defective seed 5 (des5) mutant – effects on barley seed development and HvDek1, HvCr4 and HvSal1 gene regulation. Journal of Experimental Botany. 59: 3753–3765.
  • Hege H. Divon and Robert Fluhr (2007) Nutrition acquisition strategies during fungal infection of plants. (MiniReview) FEMS Microbiology Letters 266: 65-74.
  • Hege H. Divon, Carmit Ziv, Olga Davydov, Oded Yarden, Robert Fluhr (2006) The global nitrogen regulator, FNR1, regulates fungal nutrition-genes and fitness during Fusarium pathogenesis. Molecular Plant Pathology 7: 485-497.
  • Hege H. Divon (2005) Nutritional adaptation of Fusarium oxysporum during plant invasion. Ph.D. thesis. Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
  • Hege H. Divon, Beatrice Rothan-Denoyes, Olga Davydov, Antonio Di Pietro, Robert Fluhr (2005) Nitrogen responsive genes are differentially regulated in planta during Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici infection. Molecular Plant Pathology 6: 459-470.
  • Opsahl-Sorteberg HG, Hege H. Divon, Peter Stein Nielsen, Roger Kalla, Michael Hammond-Kosack, Ko Shimamoto and Ajay Kohli (2004) Identification of a 49 bp fragment of the HvLTP2 promoter directing aleurone cell specific expression. Gene 341: 49-58.
  • Hege H. Divon og Sonja Klemsdal (2012) Løser mykotoksingåten HT-2 og T-2 (2012). Norsk Landbruk Nr. 5: 93.
  • Hege H. Divon (2013) Sopp spiser seg sterk på havrens hannorgan. Norsk Landbruk.
  • Aksel Bernhoft, Ellen Christensen, Hege Divon, Thor A. Waaler, Trude Vrålstad, Gunnar S. Eriksen (2015) The surveillance programme for mould and mycotoxins in feed materials and complete feed in Norway 2014.Surveillance program for terrestrial and aquatic animals in Norway. Annual report 2014. Oslo: Norwegian Veterinary Institute.