Simple identification of veA1 mutation in Aspergillus nidulans

The veA gene plays an important role in development of a homothallic filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The veA1 phenotype can be difficult to distinguish from the wild-type veA. Despite the importance of the veA allele, no efficient identification method has been reported besides DNA sequencing. Here, we present simple physiological and molecular biological ways to distinguish between the veA wild-type and veA1 allele. The novel approaches, which involve incubation in the presence of oxalic acid, polymerase chain reaction using double mismatched primers, and BstXI enzyme digestion, are simpler, faster and more cost-efficient than genome sequencing.