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Function of crzA in Fungal Development and Aflatoxin Production in Aspergillus flavus.

ABSTRACT: The calcineurin pathway is an important signaling cascade for growth, sexual development, stress response, and pathogenicity in fungi. In this study, we investigated the function of CrzA, a key transcription factor of the calcineurin pathway, in an aflatoxin-producing fungus Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). To examine the role of the crzA gene, crzA deletion mutant strains in A. flavus were constructed and their phenotypes, including fungal growth, spore formation, and sclerotial formation, were examined. Absence of crzA results in decreased colony growth, the number of conidia, and sclerocia production. The crzA-deficient mutant strains were more susceptible to osmotic pressure and cell wall stress than control or complemented strains. Moreover, deletion of crzA results in a reduction in aflatoxin production. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CrzA is important for differentiation and mycotoxin production in A. flavus.

SUBMITTER: Lim SY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6832762 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Function of crzA in Fungal Development and Aflatoxin Production in Aspergillus flavus.

Lim Su-Yeon SY Son Ye-Eun YE Lee Dong-Hyun DH Eom Tae-Jin TJ Kim Min-Ju MJ Park Hee-Soo HS

Toxins 20190927 10

The calcineurin pathway is an important signaling cascade for growth, sexual development, stress response, and pathogenicity in fungi. In this study, we investigated the function of CrzA, a key transcription factor of the calcineurin pathway, in an aflatoxin-producing fungus Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). To examine the role of the crzA gene, crzA deletion mutant strains in A. flavus were constructed and their phenotypes, including fungal growth, spore formation, and ...[more]

PMID: 31569747

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Project description:PURPOSE: To document the clinical profile of patients with keratitis due to Aspergillus flavus and to elaborate on differences in the aflatoxin-producing potential of keratitis strains versus environmental strains of A. flavus. METHODS: Over a 6-month period, strains of Aspergillus flavus were isolated in culture from corneal scrape or biopsy material of patients who presented with suppurative keratitis (clinical isolates). The strains were confirmed to be A. flavus by molecular methods (amplification of the internal transcribed spacer 2 [ITS 2] region and direct sequencing followed by comparative GenBank analysis). The aflatoxin-producing potential of each strain was determined by thin-layer chromatography. The ability of each strain to form sclerotia in Czapek-Dox agar (CDA) after 7 days incubation at 30 degrees C in the dark and to produce a beige ring in yeast extract sucrose agar supplemented with methyl beta-cyclodextrin and sodium desoxycholate (YESD medium) after 3 days incubation at 30 degrees C was also assessed. For comparison, the tests were also run on 10 strains of A. flavus (identity confirmed by molecular methods) collected from local farming areas (environmental isolates). RESULTS: Aflatoxin B1 was detected in 16 (80%) of 20 culture filtrate or mycelial homogenate samples of the clinical isolates (mean concentration: 366.7+/-125.4 parts per billion [ppb]) but in only eight (40%) of 20 samples of environmental isolates (mean concentration: 306.6+/-125.4 ppb). Seven of the eight aflatoxin-producing clinical isolates and two of the four aflatoxin-producing environmental isolates formed sclerotia (>400 microm) and a beige ring in culture. CONCLUSIONS: Aflatoxin B1 was detected in a significantly higher percentage of growth samples of clinical isolates (80%) than growth samples of environmental isolates (40%) (chi(2)=6.667; p=0.0098); the therapeutic implications of this finding require further study. The production of sclerotia and a beige ring in culture appear to be useful markers of aflatoxin-producing potential in strains of A. flavus isolated from keratitis.

Dataset Information

Function of crzA in Fungal Development and Aflatoxin Production in Aspergillus flavus.

Publications

Function of <i>crzA</i> in Fungal Development and Aflatoxin Production in <i>Aspergillus flavus</i>.

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