<p id="d10139028e546">The genus of
<i>Aspergillus</i> holds fungi relevant to plant and human pathology, food biotechnology,
enzyme production,
model organisms, and a selection of extremophiles. Here we present six whole-genome
sequences that represent unexplored branches of the
<i>Aspergillus</i> genus. The comparison of these genomes with previous genomes, coupled
with extensive
chemical analysis, has allowed us to identify genes for toxins, antibiotics, and anticancer
compounds, as well as show that
<i>Aspergillus novofumigatus</i> is potentially as pathogenic as
<i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, and has an even more diverse set of secreted bioactive
compounds. The findings are
of interest to industrial biotechnology and basic research, as well as medical and
clinical research.
</p><p class="first" id="d10139028e561">The fungal genus of
<i>Aspergillus</i> is highly interesting, containing everything from industrial cell
factories, model
organisms, and human pathogens. In particular, this group has a prolific production
of bioactive secondary metabolites (SMs). In this work, four diverse
<i>Aspergillus</i> species (
<i>A. campestris</i>,
<i>A. novofumigatus</i>,
<i>A. ochraceoroseus</i>, and
<i>A. steynii</i>) have been whole-genome PacBio sequenced to provide genetic references
in three
<i>Aspergillus</i> sections.
<i>A. taichungensis</i> and
<i>A. candidus</i> also were sequenced for SM elucidation. Thirteen
<i>Aspergillus</i> genomes were analyzed with comparative genomics to determine phylogeny
and genetic
diversity, showing that each presented genome contains 15–27% genes not found in other
sequenced Aspergilli. In particular,
<i>A. novofumigatus</i> was compared with the pathogenic species
<i>A. fumigatus</i>. This suggests that
<i>A. novofumigatus</i> can produce most of the same allergens, virulence, and pathogenicity
factors as
<i>A. fumigatus</i>, suggesting that
<i>A. novofumigatus</i> could be as pathogenic as
<i>A. fumigatus</i>. Furthermore, SMs were linked to gene clusters based on biological
and chemical knowledge
and analysis, genome sequences, and predictive algorithms. We thus identify putative
SM clusters for aflatoxin, chlorflavonin, and ochrindol in
<i>A. ochraceoroseus</i>,
<i>A. campestris</i>, and
<i>A. steynii</i>, respectively, and novofumigatonin,
<i>ent</i>-cycloechinulin, and
<i>epi</i>-aszonalenins in
<i>A. novofumigatus</i>. Our study delivers six fungal genomes, showing the large
diversity found in the
<i>Aspergillus</i> genus; highlights the potential for discovery of beneficial or
harmful SMs; and supports
reports of
<i>A. novofumigatus</i> pathogenicity. It also shows how biological, biochemical,
and genomic information
can be combined to identify genes involved in the biosynthesis of specific SMs.
</p>