TY - JOUR
T1 - Aspergillus flavus genomics
T2 - Gateway to human and animal health, food safety, and crop resistance to diseases
AU - Yu, Jiujiang
AU - Cleveland, Thomas E.
AU - Nierman, William C.
AU - Bennett, Joan W.
N1 - Funding Information:
Genomics is the process of revealing the entire genetic contents of an organism, by high throughput sequencing of the DNA and bioinformatics identification of all of the genes. Recent technological breakthroughs allow scientists to study an organism at the genome scale in a very short time frame. The A. flavus whole genome sequencing project funded by a USDA/NRI grant awarded to Professor Gary A. Payne and internal funding from the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, USDA/ARS, has been completed at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) under the supervision of Dr. William C. Nierman. The sequence data have been deposited to NCBI GenBank database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and are also available throught the Aspergillus flavus website (http://www.asper-gillusflavus.org). The A. flavus EST data [116] were released earlier at the websites of NCBI and TIGR (http://www.tigr.org/tdb/tgi). Primary assembly indicated that the A. flavus genome consists of eight chromosomes. The genome size is about 36.3 Mega base pairs (Mb). The A. flavus genome contains 13,071 predicted genes (http://www.aspergillusflavus.org/genomics). The genomes of several related A s p e r g i l l u s species, A. fumiga - t u s [76], Neosartorya ficheri (anamorph A. fisheri) , A . o r y z a e [69], A. nidulans [49], A. niger [Baker and Lasure, personal communication], A. terreus, and A . c l a v a t u s, have also been sequenced or are being sequenced [117]. The availability of the genome sequence data will facilitate research on basic biology, infection mechanism, host-fungus interaction, mycotoxin synthesis, genetic regulation, and evolution of these Aspergillus species through comparative genomic studies of these closely related A s p e r g i l l u s species. In future studies, gene profiling using microarrays will provide a powerful tool to detect and profile whole sets of genes transcribed under specific conditions, to study their biological functions, and to identify pathogenicity factors involved in A. flavus infection in humans, animals, and plants [62,76,77,84,85]. A. flavus amplicon microarrays, funded by the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit of USDA/ARS, Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, are under construction at TIGR based on A. flavus EST and genome sequence data [116]. The A. flavus whole genome Affymetrix oligo microarrays, funded by a USDA/NRI grant awarded to a consortium led by Professor Gary Payne, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, are under construction. These A. flavus genomic resources provide a platform for functional genomic studies of this important fungus and promise a bright future for the discovery of new antifungal drugs, for the breeding of crops resistant against fungal invasion, for the development of innovative strategies to prevent and cure diseases of humans, animals and plants; and for the elimination of mycotoxins in the food chain.
PY - 2005/12
Y1 - 2005/12
N2 - Aspergillus flavus is an imperfect filamentous fungus that is an opportunitic pathogen causing invasive and non-invasive aspergillosis in humans, animals, and insects. It also causes allergic reactions in humans. A. flavus infects agricultural crops and stored grains and produces the most toxic and potent carcinogic metabolites such as aflatoxins and other mycotoxins. Breakthroughs in A. flavus genomics may lead to improvement in human health, food safety, and agricultural economy. The availability of A. flavus genomic data marks a new era in research for fungal biology, medical mycology, agricultural ecology, pathogenicity, mycotoxin biosynthesis, and evolution. The availability of whole genome microarrays has equipped scientists with a new powerful tool for studying gene expression under specific conditions. They can be used to identify genes responsible for mycotoxin biosynthesis and for fungal infection in humans, animals and plants. A. flavus genomics is expected to advance the development of therapeutic drugs and to provide information for devising strategies in controlling diseases of humans and other animals. Further, it will provide vital clues for engineering commercial crops resistant to fungal infection by incorporating antifungal genes that may prevent aflatoxin contamination of agricultural harvest.
AB - Aspergillus flavus is an imperfect filamentous fungus that is an opportunitic pathogen causing invasive and non-invasive aspergillosis in humans, animals, and insects. It also causes allergic reactions in humans. A. flavus infects agricultural crops and stored grains and produces the most toxic and potent carcinogic metabolites such as aflatoxins and other mycotoxins. Breakthroughs in A. flavus genomics may lead to improvement in human health, food safety, and agricultural economy. The availability of A. flavus genomic data marks a new era in research for fungal biology, medical mycology, agricultural ecology, pathogenicity, mycotoxin biosynthesis, and evolution. The availability of whole genome microarrays has equipped scientists with a new powerful tool for studying gene expression under specific conditions. They can be used to identify genes responsible for mycotoxin biosynthesis and for fungal infection in humans, animals and plants. A. flavus genomics is expected to advance the development of therapeutic drugs and to provide information for devising strategies in controlling diseases of humans and other animals. Further, it will provide vital clues for engineering commercial crops resistant to fungal infection by incorporating antifungal genes that may prevent aflatoxin contamination of agricultural harvest.
KW - Aflatoxicosis
KW - Aflatoxins
KW - Aspergillosis
KW - Crop resistance
KW - Food Safety
KW - Mycotoxins
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=32644433645&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=32644433645&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S1130-1406(05)70043-7
DO - 10.1016/S1130-1406(05)70043-7
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16499411
AN - SCOPUS:32644433645
SN - 1130-1406
VL - 22
SP - 194
EP - 202
JO - Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia
JF - Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia
IS - 4
ER -