DNA fingerprinting analysis of vegetative compatibility groups in Aspergillus caelatus

Forty-three isolates of Aspergillus caelatus, whose vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) have been identified, were assessed by DNA fingerprinting using a repetitive sequence DNA probe (pAF28) cloned from A. flavus. Thirteen distinct DNA fingerprint groups or genotypes were identified among the 43 isolates. Twenty-four isolates belonging to VCG 1 produced identical DNA fingerprints and included isolates from the United States and Japan. Four other DNA fingerprint groups had multiple isolates sharing identical fingerprints corresponding to VCGs 2, 3, 12 and 13. Eight of the 13 fingerprint groups corresponding to VCGs 4-11 were represented by a single isolate with a unique fingerprint pattern. These results provide further confirmation that the pAF28 probe can distinguish VCGs of species within Aspergillus section Flavi based on DNA fingerprint patterns and that the probe can be used to estimate the number of VCGs in a sample population. Most of the A. caelatus isolates produced fewer restriction fragments and weakly hybridized with the repetitive DNA probe pAF28 compared to hybridization patterns obtained with A. flavus, suggesting less homology of the probe to A. caelatus genomic DNA.