A. nidulans iGEM Wageningen UR

A short introduction

Phylogenetic tree A. nidulans specific A. nidulans as a model organism Reproduction cycles A. nidulans vs. A. niger

Largest Phylum of fungi (over 64.000) species

Defining sexual feature: the ascus.

Filamentous fungi Fission rather then budding

Binary Fission

Budding

Cleistothecium

plate of medium with A nidulans culture

Order: EurotialesOrder: Eurotiales

The green and blue molds

Aggresive colonization strategies Adaptable to extreme environmental

conditions◦ For A. nidulans:

Temperature 10-45 oC pH 2.5-11 NaCl concentration <4.0 M

Highly aerobic Oligotrophy Commercially the most important fungi

Citric acid

http://aspergillusblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/aspergillus-produced-most-of-worlds.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus

Creates a cleistothecium with ascus inside in the sexual cycle

Filamentous Cells divide by fission Green cultures Can live under ‘extreme’ conditions Highly aerobic oligotroph

Synonym: Aspergillus nidulellus Teleomorph: Emericella nidulans Anamorph: Aspergillus nidulans

Homothallic Sexual, asexual and parasexual

reproduction Model organism

http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v3/n9/box/nrg889_BX1.html

Why A. nidulans has been chosen as a model organism

http://www.broadinstitute.org/annotation/genome/aspergillus_group/MultiHome.html

http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v2/n4/fig_tab/nprot.2007.112_F1.html

http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v2/n4/fig_tab/nprot.2007.112_F1.html

http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v2/n4/fig_tab/nprot.2007.112_F1.html

Pulmonary infection Cutaneous aspergillosis Maxillary sinus disease Guttural pouch mycosis (in horses) Cerebral abscess Endophtalmitis Osteomyelitis Superficial infections Disseminated infections

The atlas of clinical fungi p486http://www.doctorfungus.org/thefungi/Aspergillus_nidulans.php

Cell biology Gene regulation Mitosis Intracellular functions

of mitotic motors Carbon & nitrogen

regulation Cell cycle

Fungal protein secretion

Gene regulation Cell wall biosynthesis Cell morphology Carbon metabolism Nutrient transport Effects of

environmental factors on enzyme production

Industrial use

http://www.broadinstitute.org/annotation/genome/aspergillus_group/GenomeDescriptions.html

Sexual cycle 8 chromosomes At least 9 cell types Research focused on

gene control

No sexual cycle 8 chromosomes

Research focused on protein production and excretion

www.broadinstitute.org/annotation/fungi/fgi/sample_whitepaper.pdf nature.com/nbt/journal/v25/n2/fig_tab/nbt1282_F2.html

www.broadinstitute.org/annotation/genome/aspergillus_group/GenomeDescriptions.html