Identification of a splicing coactivator gene that affects the production of ochratoxin A in Aspergillus carbonarius

Abstract

Ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin produced by some fungi species. Among them, Aspergillus carbonarius is considered a powerful producer. Genes involved in the ochratoxin A biosynthesis pathway have been identified in some producer species. However, there are few studies that purpose to identify these genes in A. carbonarius. The use of insertion mutants to identify genes associated with certain properties has been increased in the literature. In this work, the region of T-DNA integration was investigated in one A. carbonarius ochratoxin-defective mutant previously obtained by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, in order to find an association between interrupted gene and the biosynthesis of ochratoxin A. The integration occurred in a gene that possibly encodes a splicing coactivator protein. The analysis of the relative expression of the splicing coativator gene from A. carbonarius wild type strain in four different media showed high correlation between the transcript levels and the ochratoxin A production.