Mycobiology.  2010 Dec;38(4):229-237.

Regulation of Development in Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus

Affiliations
  • 1Departments of Bacteriology and Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. jyu1@wisc.edu

Abstract

Members of the genus Aspergillus are the most common fungi and all reproduce asexually by forming long chains of conidiospores (or conidia). The impact of various Aspergillus species on humans ranges from beneficial to harmful. For example, several species including Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger are used in industry for enzyme production and food processing. In contrast, Aspergillus flavus produce the most potent naturally present carcinogen aflatoxins, which contaminate various plant- and animal-based foods. Importantly, the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has become the most prevalent airborne fungal pathogen in developed countries, causing invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients with a high mortality rate. A. fumigatus produces a massive number of small hydrophobic conidia as the primary means of dispersal, survival, genome-protection, and infecting hosts. Large-scale genome-wide expression studies can now be conducted due to completion of A. fumigatus genome sequencing. However, genomics becomes more powerful and informative when combined with genetics. We have been investigating the mechanisms underlying the regulation of asexual development (conidiation) and gliotoxin biosynthesis in A. fumigatus, primarily focusing on a characterization of key developmental regulators identified in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans. In this review, I will summarize our current understanding of how conidiation in two aspergilli is regulated.

Keyword

Aspergillus; Conidiation; Gliotoxin; Fungi; Transcription factors

MeSH Terms

Aflatoxins
Aspergillosis
Aspergillus
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus niger
Aspergillus oryzae
Developed Countries
Food Handling
Fungi
Genome
Genomics
Gliotoxin
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Spores, Fungal
Transcription Factors
Aflatoxins
Gliotoxin
Transcription Factors
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