This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Calvo, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Keller, N. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Calvo, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Keller, N. P.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Calvo, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Keller, N. P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2004, p. 4733-4739, Vol. 70, No. 8
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.8.4733-4739.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

veA Is Required for Toxin and Sclerotial Production in Aspergillus parasiticus

Ana M. Calvo,1* Jinwoo Bok,2 Wilhelmina Brooks,1 and Nancy P. Keller2

Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115,1 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin2

Received 25 February 2004/ Accepted 27 April 2004

It was long been noted that secondary metabolism is associated with fungal development. In Aspergillus nidulans, conidiation and mycotoxin production are linked by a G protein signaling pathway. Also in A. nidulans, cleistothecial development and mycotoxin production are controlled by a gene called veA. Here we report the characterization of a veA ortholog in the aflatoxin-producing fungus A. parasiticus. Cleistothecia are not produced by Aspergillus parasiticus; instead, this fungus produces spherical structures called sclerotia that allow for survival under adverse conditions. Deletion of veA from A. parasiticus resulted in the blockage of sclerotial formation as well as a blockage in the production of aflatoxin intermediates. Our results indicate that A. parasiticus veA is required for the expression of aflR and aflJ, which regulate the activation of the aflatoxin gene cluster. In addition to these findings, we observed that deletion of veA reduced conidiation both on the culture medium and on peanut seed. The fact that veA is necessary for conidiation, production of resistant structures, and aflatoxin biosynthesis makes veA a good candidate gene to control aflatoxin biosynthesis or fungal development and in this way to greatly decrease its devastating impact on health and the economy.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115. Phone: (815) 753-0451. Fax: (815) 753-0461. E-mail: amcalvo{at}niu.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2004, p. 4733-4739, Vol. 70, No. 8
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.8.4733-4739.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Palmer, J. M., Perrin, R. M., Dagenais, T. R. T., Keller, N. P. (2008). H3K9 Methylation Regulates Growth and Development in Aspergillus fumigatus. Eukaryot Cell 7: 2052-2060 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Horowitz Brown, S., Zarnowski, R., Sharpee, W. C., Keller, N. P. (2008). Morphological Transitions Governed by Density Dependence and Lipoxygenase Activity in Aspergillus flavus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 5674-5685 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hammond, T. M., Bok, J. W., Andrewski, M. D., Reyes-Dominguez, Y., Scazzocchio, C., Keller, N. P. (2008). RNA Silencing Gene Truncation in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Eukaryot Cell 7: 339-349 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hammond, T. M., Andrewski, M. D., Roossinck, M. J., Keller, N. P. (2008). Aspergillus Mycoviruses Are Targets and Suppressors of RNA Silencing. Eukaryot Cell 7: 350-357 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dreyer, J., Eichhorn, H., Friedlin, E., Kurnsteiner, H., Kuck, U. (2007). A Homologue of the Aspergillus velvet Gene Regulates both Cephalosporin C Biosynthesis and Hyphal Fragmentation in Acremonium chrysogenum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 3412-3422 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Frisvad, J.C., Larsen, T.O., de Vries, R., Meijer, M., Houbraken, J., Cabanes, F.J., Ehrlich, K., Samson, R.A. (2007). Secondary metabolite profiling, growth profiles and other tools for species recognition and important Aspergillus mycotoxins. SIM 59: 31-37 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Krappmann, S., Bayram, O., Braus, G. H. (2005). Deletion and Allelic Exchange of the Aspergillus fumigatus veA Locus via a Novel Recyclable Marker Module. Eukaryot Cell 4: 1298-1307 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»