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

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Jan 1995, 40-43, Vol 61, No. 1
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Sequence variability in homologs of the aflatoxin pathway gene aflR distinguishes species in Aspergillus section Flavi

PK Chang, D Bhatnagar, TE Cleveland and JW Bennett
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118.

The Aspergillus parasiticus aflR gene, a gene that may be involved in the regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis, encodes a putative zinc finger DNA-binding protein. PCR and sequencing were used to examine the presence of aflR homologs in other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi. The predicted amino acid sequences indicated that the same zinc finger domain, CTSCASSKVRCTKEKPACARCIERGLAC, was present in all of the Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus parasiticus isolates examined and in some of the Aspergillus oryzae isolates examined. Unique base substitutions and a specific base deletion were found in the 5' untranslated and zinc finger region; these differences provided distinct fingerprints. A. oryzae and A. flavus had the T-G-A-A- X-C fingerprint, whereas A. parasiticus and A sojae had the C-C-C-C-C-T fingerprint at the corresponding positions. Specific nucleotides at positions -90 (C or T) and -132 (G or A) further distinguished A. flavus from A. oryzae and A. parasiticus from A. sojae, respectively. A sojae ATCC 9362, which was previously designated A. oryzae NRRL 1988, was determined to be a A. sojae strain on the basis of the presence of the characteristic fingerprint, A-C-C-C-C-C-C-T. The DNAs of other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi, such as Aspergillus nomius and Aspergillus tamarii, and some isolates of A. oryzae appeared to exhibit low levels of similarity to the A. parasiticus aflR gene since low amounts of PCR products or no PCR products were obtained when DNAs from these strains were used.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Manikandan, P., Varga, J., Kocsube, S., Samson, R. A., Anita, R., Revathi, R., Doczi, I., Nemeth, T. M., Narendran, V., Vagvolgyi, C., Manoharan, C., Kredics, L. (2009). Mycotic Keratitis Due to Aspergillus nomius. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 3382-3385 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Machida, M., Yamada, O., Gomi, K. (2008). Genomics of Aspergillus oryzae: Learning from the History of Koji Mold and Exploration of Its Future. DNA Res 15: 173-183 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lee, C.-Z., Liou, G.-Y., Yuan, G.-F. (2006). Comparison of the aflR gene sequences of strains in Aspergillus section Flavi. Microbiology 152: 161-170 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hinrikson, H. P., Hurst, S. F., Lott, T. J., Warnock, D. W., Morrison, C. J. (2005). Assessment of Ribosomal Large-Subunit D1-D2, Internal Transcribed Spacer 1, and Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 Regions as Targets for Molecular Identification of Medically Important Aspergillus Species. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 2092-2103 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Quirk, J. T., Kupinski, J. M. (2002). Interspecific mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms in Aspergillus section Flavi. Mycologia 94: 1078-1086 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Takahashi, T., Chang, P.-K., Matsushima, K., Yu, J., Abe, K., Bhatnagar, D., Cleveland, T. E., Koyama, Y. (2002). Nonfunctionality of Aspergillus sojae aflR in a Strain of Aspergillus parasiticus with a Disrupted aflR Gene. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3737-3743 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kumeda, Y., Asao, T. (2001). Heteroduplex Panel Analysis, a Novel Method for Genetic Identification of Aspergillus Section Flavi Strains. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 4084-4090 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Watson, A. J., Fuller, L. J., Jeenes, D. J., Archer, D. B. (1999). Homologs of Aflatoxin Biosynthesis Genes and Sequence of aflR in Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus sojae. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 307-310 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Liu, B.-H., Chu, F. S. (1998). Regulation of aflR and Its Product, AflR, Associated with Aflatoxin Biosynthesis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 3718-3723 [Abstract] [Full Text]