Comparison of Aspergillus chevalieri and related species in dark tea at different aspects: Morphology, enzyme activity and mitochondrial genome

Abstract

In this study, the whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of Aspergillus chevalieri, which was isolated from dark tea were analyzed and compared with its two related species (Aspergillus cristatum and Aspergillus pseudoglaucus). Results indicated that the mitochondrial genome of A. chevalieri was 56,139 bp in length, the content of the four bases A, T, C and G are 36.83%, 35.79%, 12.30% and 15.08% respectively, its genome encoded 44 genes. The phylogenetic tree constructed with mitochondrial protein‐encoding genes could effectively clarify the evolutionary relationship between A. chevalieri, A. cristatum, A. pseudoglaucus and other Aspergillus species. The morphological characteristics and extracellular enzyme activities of the 3 Aspergillus were further analyzed. Results showed that there were certain differences in the microstructure and enzymatic characteristics of the three Aspergillus species. This study improves the taxonomy status of Aspergillus and is conducive to the control of the fermentation process of dark tea. Practical applications Aspergillus is a dominant and essential microorganism in several types of fermented foods, especially dark tea. However, Aspergillus species were easy to be confused. Our research compares and analyzes the Aspergillus chevalieri, Aspergillus cristatum, and Aspergillus pseudoglaucus in dark tea from the three aspects of the mitochondrial genome, morphological characteristics, and enzyme activity, which is helpful for identify and control of the key microorganisms in the fermentation of dark tea and stabilize the product quality.

Biological control of wheat powdery mildew disease by the termite‐associated fungus Aspergillus chevalieriBYST01 and potential role of secondary metabolites

“…The BYST01 was classified as the genus Aspergillus for its typical conidial head. 39 ITS region is a useful barcode for classification of most fungi, but does not work well in some highly speciose genera, like Aspergillus taxa. 53 We examined the genetic relatedness of BYST01 to other Aspergilli using neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree analysis constructed by the ITS region, partial calmodulin and ⊎-tubulin genes reported by Varga et al 54 The BYST01 were found to form a homophyletic clade with the type strain A. chevalieri NRRL78 and A. chevalieri CSB141769 (Fig.…”

“…Based on these characteristics, it was identified as Aspergillus sp., which is consistent with the microscopic characteristics of A. chevalieri described in the literature. 39 Phylogenetic tree (Fig. 1(b)) constructed based on combined internal transcribed spacer, ⊎-tubulin, and calmodulin sequences (Supporting Information Data S1 and S2) of the fungus using MEGA 7.0 according to the neighbor-joining method, and the bootstrap value of 1000, indicated that BYST01 was closely related to the type strains A. chevalieri NRRL78 and A. chevalieri CSB 141769.…”

Identification and biodiversity patterns ofAspergillusspecies isolated from some soil invertebrates at high altitude using morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses

“…Therefore, molecular methods are necessary for distinguishing and/or (re-) classifying similar and complex Aspergillus taxa, as well as for the discovery of new species. An international Aspergillus working group has recommended the use of molecular identification based on the ITS region for subgenus/section-level identification ( Hu et al, 2021 ). However, comparative sequence-based identification using the ITS1 region does not always enable discrimination between closely related species ( Samson et al, 2014 ), which might be due to inadequate sequence variability or issues with the reliability of the ITS sequences deposited in reference databases ( Nilsson et al, 2006 ).…”

Multiplex PCR Identification of Aspergillus cristatus and Aspergillus chevalieri in Liupao Tea Based on Orphan Genes

“…Correlation analysis revealed that A. pseudoglaucus showed significant positive correlations with key volatile compounds of traditional dry sausages [ 42 , 43 ]. The enzymatic properties of A. pseudoglaucus were different from those of A. cristatus and A. chevalieri [ 44 ]. A. pseudoglaucus may also play an important role in the formation of Liupao tea quality.…”