Aspergillus nidulans
Encyclopedia
Aspergillus 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
for over 50 years,
being used to study a wide range of subjects including recombination
, DNA repair
, mutation
, cell cycle
control, tubulin
, chromatin
, nucleokinesis, pathogenesis
, and metabolism
.
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.
was sequenced in a collaboration between Monsanto
and the Broad Institute
. A sequence with 13-fold coverage was publicly released in March 2003; analysis of the annotated genome was published in Nature
in December 2005. It is 30 million base pair
s in size and is predicted to contain around 9,500 protein
-coding gene
s 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.
Septate hyphae, radiating conidial morphology, green colour in colonies is due to green spores, woolly colony texture, white mycelia as detailed by Lindani Moyo
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
. It has been an important research organism for studying eukaryotic
Eukaryote
A eukaryote is an organism whose cells contain complex structures enclosed within membranes. Eukaryotes may more formally be referred to as the taxon Eukarya or Eukaryota. The defining membrane-bound structure that sets eukaryotic cells apart from prokaryotic cells is the nucleus, or nuclear...
cell biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
for over 50 years,
being used to study a wide range of subjects including recombination
Genetic recombination
Genetic recombination is a process by which a molecule of nucleic acid is broken and then joined to a different one. Recombination can occur between similar molecules of DNA, as in homologous recombination, or dissimilar molecules, as in non-homologous end joining. Recombination is a common method...
, DNA repair
DNA repair
DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as UV light and radiation can cause DNA damage, resulting in as many as 1...
, mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
, cell cycle
Cell cycle
The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that takes place in a cell leading to its division and duplication . In cells without a nucleus , the cell cycle occurs via a process termed binary fission...
control, tubulin
Tubulin
Tubulin is one of several members of a small family of globular proteins. The most common members of the tubulin family are α-tubulin and β-tubulin, the proteins that make up microtubules. Each has a molecular weight of approximately 55 kiloDaltons. Microtubules are assembled from dimers of α- and...
, chromatin
Chromatin
Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...
, nucleokinesis, pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...
, and metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
.
It is one of the few species in its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
able to form sexual spores through meiosis
Meiosis
Meiosis is a special type of cell division necessary for sexual reproduction. The cells produced by meiosis are gametes or spores. The animals' gametes are called sperm and egg cells....
, allowing crossing of strains in the laboratory. A. nidulans is a homothallic
Homothallic
Homothallic refers to the possession, within a single organism, of the resources to reproduce sexually.It can be contrasted to heterothallic.It is often used to categorize fungi. In yeast, heterothallic cells have mating types a and α...
fungus, meaning it is able to self-fertilize and form fruiting bodies in the absence of a mating partner.
Genome
The A. nidulans genomeGenome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
was sequenced in a collaboration between Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...
and the Broad Institute
Broad Institute
The Broad Institute is a genomic medicine research center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Although it is independently governed and supported as a 501 nonprofit research organization, the institute is formally affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard...
. A sequence with 13-fold coverage was publicly released in March 2003; analysis of the annotated genome was published in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
in December 2005. It is 30 million base pair
Base pair
In molecular biology and genetics, the linking between two nitrogenous bases on opposite complementary DNA or certain types of RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds is called a base pair...
s in size and is predicted to contain around 9,500 protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
-coding gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s on eight chromosomes.
Recently, several caspase
Caspase
Caspases, or cysteine-aspartic proteases or cysteine-dependent aspartate-directed proteases are a family of cysteine proteases that play essential roles in apoptosis , necrosis, and inflammation....
-like proteases were isolated from A.nidulans samples under which programmed cell death
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...
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
Proteobacteria
The Proteobacteria are a major group of bacteria. They include a wide variety of pathogens, such as Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, Helicobacter, and many other notable genera....
capable of inducing cell death.
Septate hyphae, radiating conidial morphology, green colour in colonies is due to green spores, woolly colony texture, white mycelia as detailed by Lindani Moyo