ARS | Publication request: PROFILING OF GENES PUTATIVELY INVOLVED ON AFLATOXIN BIOSYNTHESIS USING ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS MICROARRAYS

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 30, 2005
Publication Date: June 30, 2005
Citation: Yu, J., Wilkinson, J.R., Kim, H., Nierman, W.C., Payne, G.A., Bennett, J.W., Kim, J.H., Campbell, B.C., Bhatnagar, D., Cleveland, T.E. 2005. Profiling of genes putatively involved on aflatoxin biosynthesis using Aspergillus flavus microarrays. American Society for Microbiology Meeting, June 6-9, 2005, Atlanta, GA. p. 426.

Technical Abstract: Aflatoxins are toxic and extremely carcinogenic compounds produced by the molds Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. The aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway and its genetic regulation have been studied for decades, revealing a well organized aflatoxin pathway gene cluster consisting of 25 genes within a 70 kb DNA region. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms that control or regulate aflatoxin production, identification of genes using A. flavus expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and microarrays is currently being performed. Sequencing and annotation of A. flavus ESTs identified over 7,000 unique EST sequences. Genes that are putatively involved in aflatoxin production were identified from these ESTs. Microarrays containing over 5,000 unique A. flavus gene amplicons were used for gene identification under aflatoxin-producing and non-producing conditions. Hundreds of genes that are potentially involved in aflatoxin production are identified and under investigation by gene knockout experiments.