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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #289034
Title: The two genome sequence release and blast server construction for aflatoxin-producing L and S strains Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus

Author
item Yu, Jiujiang
item Moore Flanagan, Mary
item Ehrlich, Kenneth
item Bhatnagar, Deepak
item NIERMAN, WILLIAM - J Craig Venter Institute

Submitted to: Germplasm Release
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/29/2012
Publication Date: 11/26/2012
Citation: Yu, J., Moore Flanagan, M.E., Ehrlich, K., Bhatnagar, D., Nierman, W.C. 2012. The two genome sequence release and blast server construction for aflatoxin-producing L and S strains Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus. Germplasm Release. Genome sequence releases at USDA/ARS/MSA, Stoneville, MS, and web blast server for search of gene of interest. http://10.100.124.124.4443.blast/unique.html.

Interpretive Summary: Aflatoxins are the most toxic and most potent mycotoxins that can induce cancer in animals and human beings. These toxins are naturally-produced compounds by the fungal mold Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Contamination of agricultural commodities by aflatoxins poses serious health hazard to animals and human beings. Effort to sequence out all of the genes in the genome is aimed to understand the mechanism of aflatoxin formation and to control toxin production for food safety and health. Genomics of the two economically most important of Aspergillus species A. flavus (S strain) and A. parasicitic (L strain) provides a rapid and effective method for identification of the genes involved in aflatoxin formation and mechanism of fungal infection, which in turn, will promises effective control strategy being developed through biotechnology. The sequence release and web blaster server will provide a tool for scientists to speed up such process to achieve the objective of reducing aflatoxin contamination of food and feed.

Technical Abstract: Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites. These compounds, produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, contaminate pre-harvest agricultural crops in the field and post-harvest grains during storage. In order to reduce and eliminate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed, sequencing of the two Aspergilllus species, A. flavus #70 and A. parasiticus SU-1 have been completed. The sequence data have been assembled and annotated. A database for sequence access and gene homology comparison has been constructed at the ARS/MSA Stoneville location prior to its release to the general public. These sequence data allow access to limited ARS scientists and collaborators (IP specific access) working in mycotoxin control in their research. The data will have a significant impact to the research community studying fungal biology, field ecology, structural genomics, comparative genomics, functional genomics, and evolution genomics.