Sexual reproduction in Aspergillus flavus

Aspergillus flavus is the major producer of carcinogenic aflatoxins in crops worldwide and is also an important opportunistic human pathogen in aspergillosis. The sexual state of this heterothallic fungus is described from crosses between strains of the opposite mating type. Sexual reproduction occu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycologia 2009-05, Vol.101 (3), p.423-429
Main Authors: Horn, Bruce W., Moore, Geromy G., Carbone, Ignazio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aflatoxin
Aflatoxins
anamorphs
Ascospores
Aspergillus
Aspergillus alliaceus
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus flavus - classification
Aspergillus flavus - cytology
Aspergillus flavus - physiology
Aspergillus parasiticus
Biological taxonomies
Crosses, Genetic
Eurotiales - classification
Eurotiales - cytology
Eurotiales - physiology
fungal anatomy
Fungi
heterothallism
Mycotoxins
new species
Parasitism
Peanuts
Petromyces alliaceus
Petromyces flavus
Petromyces parasiticus
Reproduction - physiology
Sex
Sexual reproduction
Spores, Fungal - cytology
Spores, Fungal - physiology
Systematics
teleomorphs
Trichocomaceae
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Summary:Aspergillus flavus is the major producer of carcinogenic aflatoxins in crops worldwide and is also an important opportunistic human pathogen in aspergillosis. The sexual state of this heterothallic fungus is described from crosses between strains of the opposite mating type. Sexual reproduction occurred between sexually compatible strains belonging to different vegetative compatibility groups. Multiple, indehiscent ascocarps containing asci and ascospores formed within the pseudoparenchymatous matrix of stromata, which places the fungus in genus Petromyces. The teleomorph of P. flavus could not be distinguished from that of P. parasiticus (anamorph = A. parasiticus), another aflatoxin-producing species, based on morphology of the sexual structures. The two species can be separated by anamorph morphology, mycotoxin profile and molecular characters.
ISSN:0027-5514
1557-2536
DOI:10.3852/09-011