烟曲霉（Aspergillus fumigatus）是一种重要的致病菌，烟曲霉进入人体后，能引起多重变应性和侵入性疾病，支气管肺病属于侵入性曲霉病最普通的临床表现。属于子囊菌类，它能够产生菌丝体。通过从菌丝体释放出来的无性孢子进行传播，这种孢子是一种极为坚固、生命力持久的芽胞。
（生物谷注：烟曲霉闭囊壳电镜照片）
尽管越来越多的证据表明，“烟曲霉”存在重组和基因流动，但此前在该物种中只观察到无性生殖。现在，在该真菌被定性145年之后，它被发现是有性生殖的。本期Nature报告了有两个互补交配类型的分离菌种。这一研究的意义包括，人们有可能进行经典的遗传分析，而这种分析又能帮助研究这种真菌致病作用及对抗菌剂产生抵抗力的遗传基础。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature 457, 471-474 (22 January 2009) doi:10.1038/nature07528
Discovery of a sexual cycle in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
Céline M. O'Gorman1,2, Hubert T. Fuller1 & Paul S. Dyer2
1 UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland2 School of Biology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprotrophic fungus whose spores are ubiquitous in the atmosphere1. It is also an opportunistic human pathogen in immunocompromised individuals, causing potentially lethal invasive infections2, 3, and is associated with severe asthma and sinusitis4. The species is only known to reproduce by asexual means5, but there has been accumulating evidence for recombination and gene flow from population genetic studies5, 6, 7, 8, genome analysis9, 10, the presence of mating-type genes8, 10 and expression of sex-related genes8 in the fungus. Here we show that A. fumigatus possesses a fully functional sexual reproductive cycle that leads to the production of cleistothecia and ascospores, and the teleomorph Neosartorya fumigata is described. The species has a heterothallic breeding system; isolates of complementary mating types are required for sex to occur. We demonstrate increased genotypic variation resulting from recombination between mating type and DNA fingerprint markers in ascospore progeny from an Irish environmental subpopulation. The ability of A. fumigatus to engage in sexual reproduction is highly significant in understanding the biology and evolution of the species. The presence of a sexual cycle provides an invaluable tool for classical genetic analyses and will facilitate research into the genetic basis of pathogenicity and fungicide resistance in A. fumigatus, with the aim of improving methods for the control of aspergillosis. These results also yield insights into the potential for sexual reproduction in other supposedly 'asexual' fungi.
尽管越来越多的证据表明，“烟曲霉”存在重组和基因流动，但此前在该物种中只观察到无性生殖。现在，在该真菌被定性145年之后，它被发现是有性生殖的。本期Nature报告了有两个互补交配类型的分离菌种。这一研究的意义包括，人们有可能进行经典的遗传分析，而这种分析又能帮助研究这种真菌致病作用及对抗菌剂产生抵抗力的遗传基础。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature 457, 471-474 (22 January 2009) doi:10.1038/nature07528
Discovery of a sexual cycle in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
Céline M. O'Gorman1,2, Hubert T. Fuller1 & Paul S. Dyer2
1 UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland2 School of Biology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprotrophic fungus whose spores are ubiquitous in the atmosphere1. It is also an opportunistic human pathogen in immunocompromised individuals, causing potentially lethal invasive infections2, 3, and is associated with severe asthma and sinusitis4. The species is only known to reproduce by asexual means5, but there has been accumulating evidence for recombination and gene flow from population genetic studies5, 6, 7, 8, genome analysis9, 10, the presence of mating-type genes8, 10 and expression of sex-related genes8 in the fungus. Here we show that A. fumigatus possesses a fully functional sexual reproductive cycle that leads to the production of cleistothecia and ascospores, and the teleomorph Neosartorya fumigata is described. The species has a heterothallic breeding system; isolates of complementary mating types are required for sex to occur. We demonstrate increased genotypic variation resulting from recombination between mating type and DNA fingerprint markers in ascospore progeny from an Irish environmental subpopulation. The ability of A. fumigatus to engage in sexual reproduction is highly significant in understanding the biology and evolution of the species. The presence of a sexual cycle provides an invaluable tool for classical genetic analyses and will facilitate research into the genetic basis of pathogenicity and fungicide resistance in A. fumigatus, with the aim of improving methods for the control of aspergillosis. These results also yield insights into the potential for sexual reproduction in other supposedly 'asexual' fungi.
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