Photo credit: Ellen Kirstine Lyhne

This species was sequenced as a part of the Aspergillus whole-genus sequencing project - a project dedicated to performing whole-genome sequencing of all members of the Aspergillus genus. The Aspergilli is a ubiquitous and species-rich genus, currently containing more than 300 filamentous fungi. The genus covers a wide range of phenotypes and has a substantial economic foot print, as it includes fermenters of foodstuffs, key cell factories for production of enzymes and organic acids, plant pathogens, model organisms for cell biology, human opportunistic pathogens, producers of animal and human mycotoxins, and degraders of a wide range of organic biomass relevant for bioenergy conversion.

Aspergillus steynii (MB 500297)

A. steynii Frisvad & Samson was described in Stud Mycol 50: 23-43, 2004 (on page 39). It has been found in Argentina, Australia, China, India, Panama, Spain and Sri Lanka on chili, coffee beans, grapes, paprika, rice, soy beans and in soil. It produces the mycotoxins ochratoxin A & B, TR-2, viomellein, vioxanthin, and xanthomegnin. Furthermore it produces cycloechinulin, diaporthin, 4-hydroxymellein, mellein, ochrindol A & B, and orthosporin. A. steynii is regarded as one of the most important ochratoxin producers (Gil-Serna et al., Food Control 22, 343, 2011) and also produces the antiinsectan compounds ochrindol A-D (De Guzman et al., J Nat Prod 57, 634, 1994).