Gene profiling for studying the mechanism of aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus

Abstract

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic polyketide metabolites produced by certain fungal species, including Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Many internal and external factors, such as nutrition and environment affect aflatoxin biosynthesis; therefore, we analyzed the transcriptome of A. flavus using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a normalized cDNA expression library constructed from mycelia harvested under several conditions. A total of 7218 unique ESTs were identified from 26 110 sequenced cDNA clones. Functional classifications were assigned to these ESTs and genes, potentially involved in the aflatoxin contamination process, were identified. Based on this EST sequence information, a genomic DNA amplicon microarray was constructed at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). To identify potential regulatory networks controlling aflatoxin contamination in food and feeds, gene expression profiles in aflatoxin-supportive media versus non-aflatoxin-supportive media were evaluated in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. Genes consistently expressed in several aflatoxin-supportive media are reported.

†Yu, Ronning and Wilkinson contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:

• Aspergillus flavus
• mycotoxin
• aflatoxin
• expressed sequence tags (EST)
• microarray
• gene profiling
• aflatoxin biosynthesis
• genetic regulation
• pathogenesis

Acknowledgements

This paper was approved for publication as Journal Article No. J-11066 of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Mississippi State University.

Notes

†Yu, Ronning and Wilkinson contributed equally to this work.