Chang PK. Creating large chromosomal segment deletions in Aspergillus flavus by a dual CRISPR/Cas9 system: Deletion of gene clusters for production of aflatoxin, cyclopiazonic acid, and ustiloxin B.
Fungal Genet Biol 2024;
170:103863. [PMID:
38154756 DOI:
10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103863]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Aspergillus flavus produces hepatocarcinogenic aflatoxin that adversely impacts human and animal health and international trade. A promising means to manage preharvest aflatoxin contamination of crops is biological control, which employs non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus isolates possessing defective aflatoxin gene clusters to outcompete field toxigenic populations. However, these isolates often produce other toxic metabolites. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has greatly advanced genome editing and gene functional studies. Its use in deleting large chromosomal segments of filamentous fungi is rarely reported. A system of dual CRISPR/Cas9 combined with a 60-nucleotide donor DNA that allowed removal of A. flavus gene clusters involved in production of harmful specialized metabolites was established. It efficiently deleted a 102-kb segment containing both aflatoxin and cyclopiazonic acid gene clusters from toxigenic A. flavus morphotypes, L-type and S-type. It further deleted the 27-kb ustiloxin B gene cluster of a resulting L-type mutant. Overall efficiencies of deletion ranged from 66.6 % to 85.6 % and efficiencies of deletions repaired by a single copy of donor DNA ranged from 50.5 % to 72.7 %. To determine the capacity of this technique, a pigment-screening setup based on absence of aspergillic acid gene cluster was devised. Chromosomal segments of 201 kb and 301 kb were deleted with efficiencies of 57.7 % to 69.2 %, respectively. This system used natural A. flavus isolates as recipients, eliminated a forced-recycling step to produce recipients for next round deletion, and generated maker-free deletants with sequences predefined by donor DNA. The research provides a method for creating genuine atoxigenic biocontrol strains friendly for field trial release.
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