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Genome annotation of Aspergillus melleus strain CBS 546.65

Summary

Scientists have created a detailed functional map of the Aspergillus melleus fungal genome, identifying over 12,000 genes and 102 biosynthetic gene clusters. This fungus is valuable because it produces compounds with insecticidal, nematicidal, and antibiotic properties, as well as proteases used in health supplements. The annotation provides a roadmap for understanding how this fungus makes these useful compounds and could help optimize its industrial applications.

Background

Aspergillus melleus is an industrially important fungus capable of synthesizing various bioactive compounds including insecticides, nematicides, mycotoxins, antibiotics, and secreted proteases used as nutraceuticals. A complete genome assembly for the neotype strain CBS 546.65 was previously produced but lacked functional annotation.

Objective

To annotate the complete genome of Aspergillus melleus strain CBS 546.65 using integrated bioinformatics approaches combining RNA-seq data and homologous protein sequences to identify protein-coding genes and biosynthetic gene clusters.

Results

Gene annotation identified 12,841 protein-coding genes and predicted 213 tRNA genes. The final dataset comprised 13,061 genes and 13,395 transcripts. AntiSMASH identified 102 biosynthetic gene clusters including 30 Type I polyketide synthases, 21 non-ribosomal peptide synthases, 26 NRPS-like, 15 terpene, 6 indole, and 1 beta-lactone cluster.

Conclusion

This comprehensive genome annotation provides a functional framework for understanding the biosynthetic and enzymatic capabilities of A. melleus. The identified gene clusters support the organism’s known production of industrially relevant compounds and facilitate future metabolic engineering efforts.
  • Published in:Microbiology Resource Announcements,
  • Study Type:Genome Annotation Study,
  • Source: 10.1128/mra.00519-25; PMID: 40853293
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