Pilzgenomik und -biologie
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Mutations in Genes Involved in Pigment Synthesis Pathways in Albino Mutants of Aspergillus luchuensis

Kazunori Sawada, Takuji Yamada

Our previous study reported the variation of mutations in the albino strains of Aspergillus luchuensis. This short commentary builds on this previous study by further investigating the differences in mutations of the five albino strains used in that work by focusing on pigment biosynthesis. The albino strains cultured on potato dextrose agar plates showed different conidial colors, suggesting that they have different mutations in pigment biosynthesis genes. The genes targeted to investigate the mutations were obtained from public databases and previous reports on A. niger, A. fumigatus, and A. terreus, the pigment production of which has been well studied. Comparison of the amino acid sequences revealed that some mutations are shared among the albino strains, while others are unique to a specific strain. The results suggest the possibility that A. luchuensis and its albino strains can help to reveal the cryptic biosynthetic pathway behind pigment production in Aspergillus.