EVALUATION OF RFLP ANALYSIS OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF SELECTED BLACK ASPERGILLI

Twenty-one Aspergillus strains representing different A. awamori, A. p hoenicis and A. foetidus isolates were studied in order to explore the potential of a fast RFLP analysis to identify fungal strains. The pat terns were compared with those characteristic for A. niger, A. tubinge nsis, A. carbonarius, A. japonicus and A. aculeatus represented by A. niger CBS 120,49, A. tubingensis NW 756, A. carbomarius CBS 111.26. A japonicus CBS 114.51 and A. aculeatus CBS 101.43 and also with those o f the type strains of A. heteromorphus CBS 117.55 and A. ellipticus CB S 707.79. Sma I digested chromosomal DNA revealed characteristic rDNA patterns after ethidium bromide staining which were used in combinatio n with hybridization patterns of Pst I/Sal I double digested chromosom al DNA with well-defined probes. This allowed clear distinction of eig ht separate species within the Aspergillus sect. Nigri group. The prob es used were a 0.9 kb fragment of the 28S rDNA from Agaricus bisporus, an internal fragment of the pkiA gene from A. nidulans, and the pelA gene from A. niger. All the strains examined including those indicated as A. awamori and A. phoenicis were shown to belong either to A. nige r, A. tubingensis or a group representing isolates of A. foetidus vari eties, amongst which A. foetidus var. acidus CBS 564.65 and A. foetidu s var. pallidus CBS 565.65.