Skip to main content
Log in

Molecular polymorphism and phenotypic variation in Aspergillus carbonarius

  • Research Papers
  • Published:
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Thirteen collection strains and field isolates of Aspergillus carbonarius were examined by using various genotypic and phenotypic approaches. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster and the mitochondrial DNA of the strains revealed only slight variations, except for one field isolate (IN7), which exhibited completely different ribosomal RNA gene cluster and mitochondrial DNA patterns. The mitochondrial DNAs of these strains were found to be much larger (45 to 57 kb) than those found earlier in the A. niger aggregate. Strain-specific characters could be detected by the random amplified polymorphic DNA technique. Isoenzyme analysis and examination of carbon source utilisation patterns of the strains also revealed some intraspecific variability, though much smaller than that observed by using DNA-based techniques. The dendrograms constructed based on genotypic and phenotypic data suggest that strain IN7 might represent a new subspecies of A. carbonarius.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

kb:

kilobase pair

mtDNA:

mitochondrial DNA

RAPD:

random amplified polymorphic DNA

rDNA:

ribosomal RNA gene cluster

RFLP:

restriction fragment length polymorphisms

References

  • Al-Musallam A (1980) Revision of the black Aspergillus species. Ph.D. Thesis, State University Utrecht. The Netherlands

  • Burnie JP, Coke A & Matthews RC (1992) Restriction endonuclease analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus DNA. J. Clin. Pathol. 45: 324–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Borsuk PA, Nagiec MN, Stepien PP & Bartnik E (1982) Organization of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans. Gene 17: 147–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis BJ (1964) Disc electrophoresis-II. Method and application to human serum proteins. Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 121: 404–423

    Google Scholar 

  • Jadeyel DM (1986) Variation in the organization and structure of the mitochondrial DNA of species of Aspergillus. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

  • Jong SC & Birmingham JM (1992) Current status of fungal culture collections and their role in biotechnology. In: Arora DK, Elander RP & Murekji KG (Eds) Handbook of Applied Mycology, Vol. 4 Fungal Biotechnology (pp 993–1024). Marcel Dekker Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kálmán ÉT, Varga J & Kevei F (1991) Characterization of inter-specific hybrids within the Aspergillus nidulans species group by isoenzyme analysis. Can. J. Microbiol. 37: 391–396

    Google Scholar 

  • Kevei F (1990) Experimental demonstration of parasexual cycle of Aspergillus carbonarius. Fourth International Mycological Congress, Regensburg, Germany, Abstracts p. 194.

  • Kusters-van Someren MA, Samson RA & Visser J (1991) The use of RFLP analysis in classification of the black Aspergilli: reinterpretation of the Aspergillus niger aggregate. Curr. Genet. 19: 21–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach J, Finkelstein DB & Rambosek JA (1980) Rapid miniprep of DNA from filamentous fungi. Fungal Genet. Newslett. 33: 32–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann PF, Kemker BJ, Hsiao C-B & Dev S (1989) Isoenzyme biotypes of Candida species. J. Clin. Microbiol. 27: 2514–2521

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann PF, Khazan U, Wu L-C, Wickes BI & Kwon-Chung KJ (1992) Karyotype and isozyme profiles do not correlate in Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus. Mycol. Res. 96: 637–642

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe DA (1992) Fungal enzymes. In: Arora DK, Elander RP & Murekji KG (Eds) Handbook of Applied Mycology, Vol. 4 Fungal Biotechnology (pp 681–706). Marcel Dekker Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Manczinger L & Polner G (1987) Cluster analysis of carbon source utilization patterns of Trichoderma isolates. System. Appl. Microbiol. 9: 214–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Megnegneau B, Debets F & Hoekstra R (1993) Genetic variability and relatedness in the complex group of black Aspergilli based on random amplification of polymorphic DNA. Curr. Genet. 23: 323–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Osman KE (1987) Genetic and molecular studies of Aspergillus. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

  • Podani J (1993) SYN-TAX-pc. Computer programs for multivariate data analysis in ecology and systematics (version 5.0 user's guide). Scientia Publishing, Budapest, Hungary

    Google Scholar 

  • Pontecorvo G (1946) Genetic systems based on heterokaryosis. Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 11: 193–201

    Google Scholar 

  • Pontecorvo G, Roper JA, Hemmons LM, MacDonald KD & Bufton AWJ (1953) The genetics of Aspergillus nidulans. Adv. Genet. 5: 141–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Raper KB & Fennell DI (1953) Heterokaryosis in Aspergillus. J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 69: 1–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Raper KB & Fennell DI (1965) The genus Aspergillus. Williams and Wilkins Company, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Rinyu E, Varga J & Ferenczy L (1995) Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of variability in Aspergillus fumigatus. J. Clin. Microbiol. 33: 2567–2575

    Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook J., Fritsch E.F. and Maniatis T. (1989) Molecular cloning. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater ML (1976) Rapid nuclear staining method for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bacteriol. 126: 1339–1341

    Google Scholar 

  • Sneath PHA & Sokal RR (1973) Numerical taxonomy. W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Varga J, Kevei F, Fekete Cs, Coenen A, Kozakiewicz Z & Croft JH (1993) Restriction fragment length polymorphisms in the mitochondrial DNAs of the Aspergillus niger aggregate. Mycol. Res. 97: 1207–1212

    Google Scholar 

  • Varga J, Kevei F, Vriesema A, Debets F, Kozakiewicz Z & Croft JH (1994) Mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms in field isolates of the Aspergillus niger aggregate. Can. J. Microbiol. 40: 612–621

    Google Scholar 

  • Varga J, Vágvölgyi C, Nagy Á, Pfeiffer I & Ferenczy L (1995) Isoenzyme, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and random amplified polymorphic DNA characterization of Phaffia rhodozyma Miller et al. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 45: 173–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams JG, Kubelik AR, Livak KJ, Rafalski JA & Tingey SV (1990) DNA polymorphisms amplified by arbitrary primers are useful as genetic markers. Nucleic Acids Res. 18: 6531–6535

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuill E (1950) The numbers of nuclei in conidia of Aspergilli. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 33: 324–331

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kevei, F., Hamari, Z., Varga, J. et al. Molecular polymorphism and phenotypic variation in Aspergillus carbonarius . Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 70, 59–66 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393570

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393570

Key words

Navigation