Aspergillus glaucus

Aspergillus glaucus is a filamentous fungus which is known to have a wide environmental distribution due to its physiological hardiness under more extreme conditions.[1][2] Like many other fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus, it can be mildly pathogenic but has a number of useful potential applications in medicine and the production of foodstuffs.[3][2][4]

Aspergillus glaucus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Trichocomaceae
Genus: Aspergillus
Species:
A. glaucus
Binomial name
Aspergillus glaucus
(L.) Link
Synonyms
  • Mucor glaucus (1753)
  • Monilia glauca Pers. (1801)
  • Eurotium Herbariorum F.H. Wigg (1809)
  • Aspergillus mangini Thom & Raper (1945)

History and taxonomy

Botanical reference to this fungus seems to begin with Micheli, who in 1729 used the generic name Aspergillus, derived from aspergillum (holy water sprinkler) to describe the filamentous nature of this group of fungi.[5]

The fungus was later described as Mucor glaucus in 1753 before being moved to the genus Aspergillus in 1809, where it took on its current name of Aspergillus glaucus.[6][7] Other names are also quite common, namely Aspergillus herbariorium and its teleomorph synonym, Eurotium herbariorium.[8]

Physiology and morphology

Aspergillus glaucus is a very robust xerophilic fungus capable of surviving in a wide variety of different environments due to features of its physiology. Firstly, the fungus has a cardinal temperature range between 4 °C and 37 °C, allowing it to grow well during winter.[9] The optimal temperature range for growth, however, is between 24 °C and 25 °C.[9] With these temperatures, growth is considered moderate, reaching maturity in about one to three weeks.[9][10] It is also one of the most osmotolerant fungi in its genus, being capable of developing at a sucrose concentration of 60%, allowing it to grow in very sweet syrups and foodstuffs.[9]

The fungus itself is filamentous and thin-walled. and has many features in common with other species in its genus, namely its conidial heads, which radiate to somewhat columnar and are round or elliptical.[10] These conidial heads are typically sized between 5 and 6.5 μm.[11] The conidiophores containing them, typically 200 to 350 μm long, are smooth-walled and somewhere between uncolored to pale brown.[12] In addition, the hyphae of the mycelium are septate and hyaline.[12]

Phialides cover the upper portion of the vesicles. which are globose to sub-globose, and uniseriate, with a diameter between 15 and 30 μm.[12] The asci contains eight spores that are typically unarranged while the perithecia are typically yellow. The mould can appear as either yellow or in patches of green.[10]

Habitat and ecology

Aspergillus glaucus has a worldwide geographic distribution because of many of the aforementioned physiological characteristics.[10] It is one of the few fungi that can be found in Arctic environments due to the extremely low temperatures.[1][2] As a result, it is a common outdoor fungus in the winter.[3] In addition, even among its own genus, A. glaucus is capable of thriving in low moisture environments, allowing it to grow in dry areas.[9]

A. glaucus is also polytrophic, allowing it to take advantage of a large number of different food sources. As a result, it's been found to grow well on a variety of different foods, including corn, wheat, fish, butter, and eggs.[9] It can also survive in foods such as jam and jellies, very sweet substances that most other fungi cannot grow in, because of its osmotolerance.

Pathology

Several strains of Aspergillus glaucus may produce mycotoxins. There is at least one recorded instance of this species appearing to cause a fatal brain infection.[13] That being said, A.glaucus is not considered to be very pathogenic as its growth is restricted by temperatures of more than 35 °C.[9] In addition, even as a pathogen, it is not considered very dangerous as it is highly susceptible to anti-fungal treatments.[14]

It is known to be an allergen and an irritant in addition to causing pneumonitis and various forms of dermatitis.[15][16]

Applications

One of the more popular applications for A. glaucus is in the production of katsuobushi, shavings of a smoked and fermented fish that is popular in Japanese cuisine.[4] In the final stages of preparation, a culture of A. glaucus is sprayed onto the fish, providing the necessary fermentation. There have been some health concerns due to the discovery of a mytotoxin, beta-nitropropionic acid, that the fungus produces.[17]

Another possible application for A. glaucus is its use as an anti-cancer agent. The mycotoxin aspergiolide A may be able to be used as an anti-cancer agent.[18][19]

Finally, due to its Arctic habitat and low cardinal temperature range, A. glaucus is a potential source of enzymes capable of functioning at low temperatures, though research in this area is still relatively new.[20]

References
  1. Hubka, V; Kolarík, M; Kubátová, A; Peterson, SW (Jul–Aug 2013). "Taxonomic revision of Eurotium and transfer of species to Aspergillus". Mycologia. 105 (4): 912–37. doi:10.3852/12-151. PMID 23396159.
  2. Cai, M; Zhou, X; Lu, J; Fan, W; Zhou, J; Niu, C; Kang, L; Sun, X; Zhang, Y (Dec 2012). "An integrated control strategy for the fermentation of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus glaucus for the production of anti-cancer polyketide". Marine Biotechnology. 14 (6): 665–71. doi:10.1007/s10126-012-9435-6. PMID 22286337.
  3. Safety, University of Minnesota, Department of Environmental Health &. "Aspergillus glaucus". www.dehs.umn.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  4. Mikiharu Doi (2013). Toko, Kiyoshi, ed. Biochemical sensors: mimicking gustatory and olfactory senses, Chapter 8: Investigation into the Kokumi Taste of Soup Stock Materials. Singapore: Pan Stanford. p. 123. ISBN 9789814267076.
  5. Bennett JW (2010). "An Overview of the Genus Aspergillus" Archived 2016-06-17 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Aspergillus: Molecular Biology and Genomics. Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-53-0.
  6. Species Plantarum: 1186 (1753)
  7. Mag. Gesell. naturf. Freunde, Berlin 3(1-2): 16 (1809)    
  8. "Species Fungorum - Species synonymy". www.speciesfungorum.org. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  9. Panasenko, Vasil T. (1967). "Ecology of microfungi". The Botanical Review. 33 (3): 189–215. doi:10.1007/BF02858637. ISSN 0006-8101.
  10. Thom, C., & Raper, K. B. (1941). The Aspergillus glaucus group (Vol. 424). US Dept. of Agriculture.
  11. [null Mould Allergy], Yousef Al-Doory and Joanne F. Domson, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1984. 287 p.
  12. "Aspergillus glaucus". www.mold.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  13. Traboulsi, RS; Kattar, MM; Dbouni, O; Araj, GF; Kanj, SS (Oct 2007). "Fatal brain infection caused by Aspergillus glaucus in an immunocompetent patient identified by sequencing of the ribosomal 18S-28S internal transcribed spacer". European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. 26 (10): 747–50. doi:10.1007/s10096-007-0361-x. PMID 17665232.
  14. Araujo, Ricardo; Pina-Vaz, Cidalia; Rodrigues, Acacio Gonçalves (2007-01-01). "Susceptibility of environmental versus clinical strains of pathogenic Aspergillus". International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 29 (1): 108–111. doi:10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2006.09.019. ISSN 0924-8579. PMID 17189101.
  15. "Chemical Sampling Information | Aspergillus glaucus". www.osha.gov. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  16. M.D, Kazuko Yoshida; M.D, Masayuki Ando; M.D, Kiyotaka Ito; M.D, Tetsunori Sakata; M.D, Kazuko Arima; M.D, Shukuro Araki; M.D, Katsuhisa Uchida (1990-08-01). "Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis of a Mushroom Worker due to Aspergillus glaucus". Archives of Environmental Health. 45 (4): 245–247. doi:10.1080/00039896.1990.9940809. ISSN 0003-9896. PMID 2119164.
  17. Frisvad, Jens C.; Thrane, Ulf; Samson, Robert A.; Pitt, John I. (2006-08-29). "Important Mycotoxins and the Fungi which Produce Them". In Ailsa Diane Hocking. Advances in Food Mycology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 571. New York: Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. p. 7. ISBN 9780387283913.
  18. Sun, Xueqian; Zhou, Xiangshan; Cai, Menghao; Tao, Kejing; Zhang, Yuanxing (2009-09-01). "Identified biosynthetic pathway of aspergiolide A and a novel strategy to increase its production in a marine-derived fungus Aspergillus glaucus by feeding of biosynthetic precursors and inhibitors simultaneously". Bioresource Technology. 100 (18): 4244–4251. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2009.03.061. ISSN 1873-2976. PMID 19386490.
  19. Cai, Menghao; Zhang, Ying; Hu, Wei; Shen, Wei; Yu, Zhenzhong; Zhou, Weiqiang; Jiang, Tao; Zhou, Xiangshan; Zhang, Yuanxing (2014-05-20). "Genetically shaping morphology of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus glaucus for production of antitumor polyketide aspergiolide A". Microbial Cell Factories. 13: 73. doi:10.1186/1475-2859-13-73. ISSN 1475-2859. PMC 4039328. PMID 24886193.
  20. Abrashev, Radoslav; Feller, Georges; Kostadinova, Nedelina; Krumova, Ekaterina; Alexieva, Zlatka; Gerginova, Maria; Spasova, Boryana; Miteva-Staleva, Jeni; Vassilev, Spassen (2016-05-01). "Production, purification, and characterization of a novel cold-active superoxide dismutase from the Antarctic strain Aspergillus glaucus 363". Fungal Biology. 120 (5): 679–689. doi:10.1016/j.funbio.2016.03.002. PMID 27109365.
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