Aspergillus nidulans has long-been used as a model organism to gain insights into the genetic basis of asexual and sexual developmental processes both in other members of the genus Aspergillus, and filamentous fungi in general. Paradigms have been established concerning the regulatory mechanisms of conidial development. However, recent studies have shown considerable genome divergence in the fungal kingdom, questioning the general applicability of findings from Aspergillus, and certain longstanding evolutionary theories have been questioned. The phylogenetic distribution of key regulatory elements of asexual reproduction in A. nidulans was investigated in a broad taxonomic range of fungi. This revealed that some proteins were well conserved in the Pezizomycotina (e.g. AbaA, FlbA, FluG, NsdD, MedA, and some velvet proteins), suggesting similar developmental roles. However, other elements (e.g. BrlA) had a more restricted distribution solely in the Eurotiomycetes, and it appears that the genetic control of sporulation seems to be more complex in the aspergilli than in some other taxonomic groups of the Pezizomycotina. The evolution of the velvet protein family is discussed based on the history of expansion and contraction events in the early divergent fungi. Heterologous expression of the A. nidulans abaA gene in Monascus ruber failed to induce development of complete conidiophores as seen in the aspergilli, but did result in increased conidial production. The absence of many components of the asexual developmental pathway from members of the Saccharomycotina supports the hypothesis that differences in the complexity of their spore formation is due in part to the increased diversity of the sporulation machinery evident in the Pezizomycotina. Investigations were also made into the evolution of sex and sexuality in the aspergilli. MAT loci were identified from the heterothallic Aspergillus (Emericella) heterothallicus and Aspergillus (Neosartorya) fennelliae and the homothallic Aspergillus pseudoglaucus (=Eurotium repens). A consistent architecture of the MAT locus was seen in these and other heterothallic aspergilli whereas much variation was seen in the arrangement of MAT loci in homothallic aspergilli. This suggested that it is most likely that the common ancestor of the aspergilli exhibited a heterothallic breeding system. Finally, the supposed prevalence of asexuality in the aspergilli was examined. Investigations were made using A. clavatus as a representative ‘asexual’ species. It was possible to induce a sexual cycle in A. clavatus given the correct MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 partners and environmental conditions, with recombination confirmed utilising molecular markers. This indicated that sexual reproduction might be possible in many supposedly asexual aspergilli and beyond, providing general insights into the nature of asexuality in fungi.

构巢曲霉长期以来一直被用作模型生物，以深入了解曲霉属其他成员以及一般丝状真菌的无性和有性发育过程的遗传基础。已经建立了关于分生孢子发育的调控机制的范例。但是，最近的研究表明真菌界中的基因组存在相当大的分歧，这质疑了曲霉菌研究结果的一般适用性，并且对某些长期的进化论提出了质疑。构巢曲霉无性繁殖关键调控元件的系统发育分布在广泛的真菌分类学范围内进行了调查。这表明某些蛋白质在Pezizomycotina中具有良好的保守性（例如， AbaA，FlbA，FluG，NsdD，MedA和一些天鹅绒蛋白质），这表明它们具有相似的发育作用。但是，其他元素（例如BrlA）仅在欧洲切菌菌中具有更受限制的分布，并且似乎在曲霉菌中对孢子形成的遗传控制似乎比在Pezizomycotina的某些其他分类学组中更为复杂。基于早期发散真菌中的膨胀和收缩事件的历史，讨论了天鹅绒蛋白家族的进化。构巢曲霉abaA基因在大肠杆菌中的异源表达如在曲霉中所见，红曲霉不能诱导完整的分生孢子形成，但确实导致了分生孢子的增加。糖胞壁成员无性发育途径的许多组成部分的缺乏支持假说，其孢子形成的复杂性的差异部分是由于结皮壁藻中明显的孢子形成机制的多样性所致。还调查了曲霉菌中性别和性行为的演变。MAT基因位点从异孔曲霉（Emericella）异孔霉和曲霉（Emericella）中鉴定。新萨托菌属）fennelliae和同宗配合曲霉pseudoglaucus（=散囊菌）。在这些和其他杂口曲霉中观察到了MAT基因座的一致结构，而在同型曲霉中MAT基因座的排列发生了很大的变化。这表明曲霉的共同祖先很可能表现出异源繁殖系统。最后，研究了曲霉菌中无性的流行情况。使用蛤c曲霉作为代表性的“无性”物种进行了调查。这是可能诱发的性周期棒曲霉给出正确的MAT1-1和MAT1-2伙伴和环境条件，并使用分子标记物确认了重组。这表明在许多据称无性的曲霉菌及其以外的地方有可能进行有性生殖，从而提供了对真菌中无性菌性质的普遍认识。