Richard P. Oliver

Transformation of Aspergillus based on the hygromycin B resistance marker from Escherichia coli

A new, heterologous, dominant marker for selection of Aspergillus transformants is described. This marker is based on the Escherichia coli hygromycin B (HmB) phosphotransferase gene (hph). Expression of the hph gene is controlled by A. nidulans gpd and trpC expression signals. An Aspergillus transformation vector was constructed which contains this marker and confers HmB resistance to Aspergillus species. With both A. niger and A. nidulans, transformation frequencies of 5-20 transformants per micrograms vector DNA were obtained. Cotransformation with other vectors was shown to be very efficient in both species, when selection for HmB resistance was applied.

The use of AFLP fingerprinting for the detection of genetic variation in fungi

A new PCR-based technique for the detection of inter- and intraspecific genetic variation has been tested on isolates of the fungal phytopathogens Cladosporium fulvum and Pyrenopeziza brassicae . The method is based on the selective PCR amplification of restriction fragments from digests of genomic DNA. We show that the technique is very efficient at detecting polymorphisms, even in species where very little variation could previously be found by RFLP analysis. 21 primer combinations were used on four isolates of P. brassicae , detecting a total of 162 polymorphisms (mean = 4·1 polymorphisms per primer combination per pair of isolates). Four primer combinations were used on eight isolates of C. fulvum , detecting a total of 32 polymorphisms (mean = 3·3 polymorphisms per primer combination per pair of isolates). Primer combinations varied in their ability to detect variation, ranging from 0 to 24 polymorphisms between P. brassicae isolates and 0 to 10 polymorphisms between C. fulvum isolates. AFLP fingerprints were highly reproducible and have great potential as a tool for evaluating genetic diversity of fungal pathogens.

Expression of the Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase gene in industrial and phytopathogenic filamentous fungi

SummaryA chimaeric β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene has been created by ligating the Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter to the coding sequence of the E. coli uidA gene. Cotransformation of this vector into A. nidulans, A. niger and the tomato pathogen Fulvia fulva (syn. Cladosporium fulvum (Cooke)) resulted in the expression of β-glucuronidase. GUS activity was detected by growth on agar media containing X-gluc and by enzyme assays of mycelial extracts. Expression of the gene in F. fulva transformants was also easily detectable during growth in plants and did not affect pathogenicity. These results form the basis for a versatile and sensitive reporter gene system for industrial and phytopathogenic filamentous fungi.

Transformation of Fulvia fulva, a fungal pathogen of tomato, to hygromycin B resistance

SummaryA transformation system for the tomato pathogen Fulvia fulva has been developed. Hygromycin B resistant colonies were obtained after treatment of protoplasts with a plasmid containing an E. coli hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene fused to an Aspergillus nidulans promoter. The DNA was stably integrated into the genome. The number and sites of integrations varied among transformants. The demonstration of transformation opens the way for the molecular genetic analysis of the interaction of Fulvia with tomato.

CfT-I : an LTR-retrotransposon in Cladosporium fulvum, a fungal pathogen of tomato

SummaryA retrotransposon from the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum (syn. Fulvia fulva) has been isolated and characterised. It is 6968 by in length and bounded by identical long terminal repeats of 427 bp; 5 by target-site duplications were found. Putative first- and second-strand primer binding sites were identified. Three long open reading frames (ORFs) are predicted from the sequence. The first has homology to retroviral gag genes. The second includes sequences homologous to protease, reverse transcriptase, RNAse H and integrase, in that order. Sequence comparisons of the predicted ORFs indicate that this element is closely related to the gypsy class of LTR retrotransposons. Races of the pathogen exhibit polymorphisms in their complement of at least 25 copies of the sequence. Virus-like particles which co-sediment with reverse transcriptase activity were observed in homogenates of the fungus. This is the first report of an LTR retrotransposon in a filamentous fungus.

The use of RAPD markers in the genetic analysis of the plant pathogenic fungus Cladosporium fulvum

RAPD markers have been obtained in Cladosporium fulvum, in order to establish a genetic map based on mitotic recombination in this imperfect fungus. Segregation analysis has provided molecular evidence of a high degree of recombination during the parasexual cycle, and of the ploidy level of the parasexual progeny. A molecular study of 49 RAPDs obtained showed that, with only one exception, all RAPD markers studied represent repetitive DNA. This situation precludes the direct use of these markers to either initiate chromosome walking to a gene of interest or for the assignment of linkage groups to electrophoretically-separated chromosomes. A simple reamplification test has been applied which permitted the quick discrimination between single-copy and repetitive DNA species, without the need for Southern analysis. Additionally, evidence is shown for the presence of single-stranded DNA species in the amplification products, and that these may be present in addition to their double-stranded counterparts. The reamplification test can also identify these DNA species, avoiding misinterpretation of polymorphic bands.

The isolation of Ant1, a transposable element from Aspergillus niger.

A transposable element has been isolated from the industrially important fungus Aspergillus niger (strain N402). The element was identified as an insertion sequence within the coding region of the nitrate reductase gene. It had inserted at a TA site and appeared to have duplicated the target site upon insertion. The isolated element was found to be 4798 by in length and contained 37-bp inverted, imperfect, terminal repeats (ITRs). The sequence of the central region of the element revealed an open reading frame (designated ORF1) which showed similarity, at the amino acid level, to the transposase of the Tc1/mariner class of DNA transposons. Another sequence within the central region of the element showed similarity to the 3′ coding and downstream untranslated region of the amyA gene of A. niger. Sequence homology and structural features indicate that this element, which has been named Ant1 (A. niger transposon 1), is related to the Tc1/mariner group of DNA transposons. Ant1 is apparently present as a single copy in strain N402 of A. niger.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis reveals chromosome length differences between strains of Cladosporium fulvum (syn. Fulvia fulva)

SummaryMethods are described for the electrophoretic separation of chromosome-sized DNA molecules from the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum (syn. Fulvia fulva). Using a hexagonal electrode array and switching times of 75 min at 45 V for 14 days, nine bands could be resolved. By comparison with co-electrophoresed Aspergillus nidulans chromosomal DNA (which was resolved into seven bands), the sizes of the C. fulvum bands are estimated to be between 1.9 Mb and 5.4 Mb. The two largest bands are believed to be doublets, giving a minimum genome size of 44 Mb. Cloned probes for the ribosomal DNA repeat, an anonymous single copy fragment and a newly discovered retrotransposon were hybridized to blots of the pulsed field gels, demonstrating the use of this technique for genomic mapping. Most strains of C. fulvum had an identical pattern of bands. Two strains exhibited two polymorphisms which could be due to a translocation.

The transformation of protoplasts of Leptosphaeria maculans to Hygromycin B resistance

SummaryConditions are described for the efficient isolation and regeneration of protoplasts of a fungal pathogen of brassicas, Leptosphaeria maculans. Treatment of the protoplasts with DNA of the plasmid pAN7-1 (containing an E. coli hygromycin phosphotransferase gene with Aspergillus nidulans expression signals) and plating under selective conditions resulted in the formation of hygromycin 13-resistant colonies. Southern blot analysis of resistant colonies indicated that single copies of the plasmid had integrated into different sites in the genome. In twelve of the transformants analysed so far, the integration is stable through mitosis. The demonstration of efficient transformation is an essential first step in the molecular analysis of pathogenicity of this commercially important pathogen.

The phylogeny of the tomato leaf mould fungus Cladosporium fulvum syn. Fulvia fulva by analysis of rDNA sequences

The nucleotide sequence of part of the ribosomal DNA from races of the fungal tomato pathogen Cladosporium fulvum and other Cladosporium species have been determined. Comparisons of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of several C. fulvum races showed complete sequence homology suggesting a recent evolutionary divergence. Comparisons of these nucleotide sequences in the ITS region with those of other Cladosporium species showed the close relationship within the Cladosporium genus. Using the nucleotide sequence of part of the 18s ribosomal subunit from these isolates and comparing them with sequences of some Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Chytridiomycetes, obtained from GenBank, we infer the phylogeny of the Cladosporium species studied here. Our analysis shows that the Cladosporia form a monophyletic group which falls within the order Ascomycotina.