Disseminated invasive aspergillosis.

SummaryWe present a case of disseminated invasive aspergillosis in a young male adult with progressive complex gastrointestinal, non-specific peripheral neural and respiratory symptoms and subsequent acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis and generalized dermatitis.The case emphasizes the difficulty in diagnosing systemic mycosis and a high index of suspicion is recommended particularly in patients on prolonged antibiotics and systemic steroids.

A family of DNA repeats in Aspergillus nidulans has assimilated degenerated retrotransposons.

In the course of a chromosomal walk towards the centromere of chromosome IV of Aspergillus nidulans, several cross-hybridizing genomic cosmid clones were isolated. Restriction mapping of two such clones revealed that their restriction patterns were similar in a region of at least 15 kb, indicating the presence of a large repeat. The nature of the repeat was further investigated by sequencing and Southern analysis.

Genetic and physical mapping of two centromere-proximal regions of chromosome IV in Aspergillus nidulans.

Chromosome IV is the smallest chromosome of Aspergillus nidulans. The centromere-proximal portion of the chromosome was mapped physically using overlapping clones of a cosmid genomic library. Two contiguous segments of a physical map, based on restriction mapping of cosmid clones, were generated, together covering more than 0.

Antisense silencing of the creA gene in Aspergillus nidulans.

Antisense expression of a portion of the gene encoding the major carbon catabolite repressor CREA in Aspergillus nidulans resulted in a substantial increase in the levels of glucose-repressible enzymes, both endogenous and heterologous, in the presence of glucose. The derepression effect was approximately one-half of that achieved in a null creA mutant. Unlike results for that mutant, however, growth parameters and colony morphology in the antisense transformants were not affected.

Structural and transcriptional analysis of the pyrABCN, pyrD and pyrF genes in Aspergillus nidulans and the evolutionary origin of fungal dihydroorotases.

The six biochemical steps of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway are conserved in all known organisms. However, in animals and fungi, unlike prokaryotes, at least the first two activities are grouped on a multifunctional enzyme. Here, we report cloning, mapping and transcriptional characterization of some pyrimidine biosynthesis genes in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.