AFLATOXINS ARE POTENT CARCINOGENS AND POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON HOST PLANT RESISTANCE TO AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION HAS BEEN PERFORMED, BUT PROGRESS HAS BEEN LIMITED BY ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS AND THE QUANTITATIVE NATURE OF RESISTANCE. BECAUSE OF THIS, NOVEL METHODS ARE NEEDED TO ENHANCE HOST RESISTANCE. OUR RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT RESISTANCE TO AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IS CORRELATED WITH DROUGHT TOLERANCE, AND KERNEL SIMPLE SUGAR, OXYLIPIN, AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) CONTENTS. WE HAVE ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT ROS STIMULATE AFLATOXIN PRODUCTION BY ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS, AND REGULATE DEVELOPMENTAL AND PATHOGENICITY-RELATED MECHANISMS. THEREFORE, THE MANIPULATION OF THE ROS CONTENT OF HOST KERNELS USING GENETIC ENGINEERING MAY PROVIDE A NOVEL AND EFFECTIVE MEANS OF MITIGATING AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION. IN THIS PROPOSED PROJECT, THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE EXPLORED THROUGH TWO OBJECTIVES. OBJECTIVE 1 WILL BE TO TEST WHETHER THE OVEREXPRESSION OF ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES IN MAIZE AND PEANUT SEED TISSUES RESULTS IN REDUCED ROS CONTENT AND ENHANCED AFLATOXIN RESISTANCE UNDER DROUGHT STRESS. OBJECTIVE 2 WILL BE TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS USING GENOME EDITING THROUGH CRISPR/CAS9 TECHNOLOGY TO SILENCE THE FUNCTION OF ANTIOXIDANT GENES RESULTING IN INCREASED ROS CONTENT, COMPROMISED DROUGHT TOLERANCE, AND GREATER SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION. SUCCESSFUL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOST TISSUE ROS CONTENT AND AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION RESISTANCE WILL PROVIDE GREATER INSIGHT INTO THIS DISEASE, AND A NOVEL METHOD OF REDUCING AFLATOXIN EXPOSURE IN THE FOOD CHAIN. AS SUCH, THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS IN LINE WITH THE AFRI CHALLENGE AND FY 2017 FOUNDATIONAL PRIORITY AREA: FOOD SAFETY, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH.