Aspergillus flavus expressed sequence tags for identification of genes with putative roles in aflatoxin contamination of crops.
Aflatoxins, produced primarily by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, are among the most toxic and carcinogenic naturally occurring compounds. In an attempt to identify genes potentially involved in aflatoxin contamination of crops, and to better understand the biology of A. flavus, a large scale sequencing of A. flavus expressed sequence tags (EST) was conducted. The 5' ends of 26,110 cDNA clones from a normalized cDNA expression library were sequenced. After annotation, a total of 7218 unique ESTs in A. flavus were assembled into 3749 tentative concensus sequences and 3469 singleton sequences. The functional classifications of the genes or Gene Ontology (GO) terms were assigned to these ESTs. Genes potentially involved in the aflatoxin contamination process were identified in the ESTs sequenced. These include the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway, signal transduction, global regulation, pathogenicity of the fungus, and stress response.
Yu
Jiujiang
J
Food and Feed Safety Research, USDA/ARS, Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124, USA. jiuyu@srrc.ars.usda.gov
Whitelaw
Catherine A
CA
Nierman
William C
WC
Bhatnagar
Deepak
D
Cleveland
Thomas E
TE
D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001231:Aspergillus flavus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000382:microbiology; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D015398:Signal Transduction; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
D000348:Aflatoxins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D037521:Virulence Factors