Aspergillus nidulans

Taxobox
name = "Aspergillus nidulans"


image_width = 240px
image_caption = "A. nidulans" inoculated on a complete fungal medium.
regnum = Fungi
phylum = Ascomycota
classis = Eurotiomycetes
ordo = Eurotiales
familia = Trichocomaceae
genus = "Aspergillus"
species = "A. nidulans"
binomial = "Aspergillus nidulans"
binomial_authority = G Winter 1884
synonyms = "Emericella nidulans"

"Aspergillus nidulans" (also called "Emericella nidulans") is one of many species of filamentous fungi in the phylum Ascomycota. It has been an important research organism for studying eukaryotic cell biology [cite journal
author=Osmani SA, Mirabito PM
title=The early impact of genetics on our understanding of cell cycle regulation in Aspergillus nidulans
journal=Fungal Genet Biol
year=2004
pages=401–10
volume=41
issue=4
pmid=14998523
doi=10.1016/j.fgb.2003.11.009] for over 50 years, [cite book
last = Martinelli
first = S. D.
authorlink =
coauthors = J. R. Kinghorn
title = "Aspergillus:" 50 years on
publisher = Elsevier
date = 1994
location =
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0-444-81762-X ] being used to study a wide range of subjects including recombination, DNA repair, mutation, cell cycle control, pathogenesis, and metabolism. [cite journal | author=Nierman WC, May G, Kim HS, Anderson MJ, Chen D, Denning DW | title=What the Aspergillus genomes have told us | journal=Med Mycol | year=2005 | pages=S3–5 | volume=43 Suppl 1 | pmid=16110785 | doi=10.1080/13693780400029049] It is one of the few species in its genus able to form sexual spores through meiosis, allowing crossing of strains in the laboratory. "A. nidulans" is a homothallic fungus, meaning it is able to self-fertilize and form fruiting bodies in the absence of a mating partner.

Genome

The genome of "A. nidulans", sequenced at the Broad Institute, was published in December 2005. [cite journal | author=Galagan JE "et al" | title=Sequencing of "Aspergillus nidulans" and comparative analysis with "A. fumigatus" and "A. oryzae" | journal=Nature | year=2005 | pages=1105–15 | volume=438 | issue=7071 | pmid=16372000 | doi=10.1038/nature04341] It is 30 million base pairs in size and is predicted to contain around 9,500 protein-coding genes on eight chromosomes.

Recently, several caspase-like proteases were isolated from "A.nidulans" samples under which programmed cell death had been induced. Findings such as these play a key role in determing the evolutionary conservation of the mitochondrion within the eukaryotic cell, and its role as an ancient proteobacterium capable of inducing cell death.

References

External links

* Aspergillus nidulans genome [http://www.broad.mit.edu/annotation/genome/aspergillus_nidulans/]
* [http://www.fgsc.net Fungal Genetics Stock Center]