Jens Christian Frisvad

Professor in Industrial Mycology from 2001, has been employed since 1979 at DTU-Biotechnology (Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at DTU, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark)

Abstract:

Aspergillus species are known for their prolific production of bioactive specialized metabolites (secondary metabolites) (SMs) and some of these are important for potential infection of immunocompromised patients. One important class of bioactive SMs are fumifungins (spingofungins) and more polar but quite similar SMs, the fumonisins. The fumonisins are produced by Aspergillus niger (section Nigri), while the fumifungins are produced by Aspergillus fumigatus and A. lentulus from section Fumigati and A. caelatus from section Flavi. These SMs are highly reduced polyketides, but biosynthetically often also involving tricarballylic acid and an amino, making them potentially toxic to the human brain, but they may also have an effect on other organs such as the lungs, liver and kidneys. Other lipid-like SMs from Aspergillus are the cerebrosides (monohexosecerebrosides), for example produced by A. flavus (flavucides), but also similar cerebrosides produced by A. fumigatus and A. niger (asperiamides) and other Aspergilli. Bolaamphiphilic SMs are also known from Aspergillus, for example burnettramic acids (glycosylated in one end and having a tetramic acid in the other end of the molecule) from A. burnettii in section Flavi, but these SMS have not been screened for in other Aspergili. It is expected that these SMs may have a major influence fungal infections of animals, but many more data are needed to confirm this.