The aflatoxin pathway regulator AflR induces gene transcription inside and outside of the aflatoxin biosynthetic cluster.
Aflatoxin contamination of food and feed is a major concern due to the carcinogenic properties of this mycotoxin. Previous studies using classical approaches have identified a cluster of genes responsible for aflatoxin production under the control of the pathway-specific transcriptional regulator aflR, but it is unknown whether aflR controls expression of other genes within the genome. Transcription profiling comparing wild type and DeltaaflR strains of Aspergillus parasiticus grown under conditions conducive for aflatoxin production identified only 23 upregulated genes in the wild type. These included 20 genes in the aflatoxin biosynthetic cluster, and three additional genes outside the aflatoxin biosynthetic cluster (nadA, hlyC, and niiA), all with AflR binding sites. This report is the first to demonstrate genes outside the biosynthetic cluster as being associated with aflR expression.
Price
Michael S
MS
North Carolina State University, Center for Integrated Fungal Research and Department of Plant Pathology, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Yu
Jiujiang
J
Nierman
William C
WC
Kim
H Stanley
HS
Pritchard
Bethan
B
Jacobus
Carrie A
CA
Bhatnagar
Deepak
D
Cleveland
Thomas E
TE
Payne
Gary A
GA
D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001231:Aspergillus flavus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D005810:Multigene Family; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D000348:Aflatoxins; D005656:Fungal Proteins