AFED, a comprehensive resource for Aspergillus flavus gene expression profiling

The Aspergillus flavus expression database (AFED) is a comprehensive resource dedicated to exploring gene expression in A. flavus, a significant fungal pathogen that threatens food security by contaminating crops with aflatoxin. Given the complex regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis and the lack of centralized expression data resources for this important pathogen, a database integrating diverse experimental conditions is essential for understanding its biology and developing control strategies. Public RNA sequencing data were used to quantify gene expression abundance for 604 A. flavus samples from 52 experiments. Using abundance data, we created an AFED accessible through a web-based interface that allows for the expression profiles of genes to be conveniently examined across different growth conditions and life cycle stages. Expression profiles can be visualized through either an interactive bar plot for single gene queries or a heatmap for multiple gene queries. A gene co-expression network based on samples containing at least 10 million mapped reads is also available, which allows users to identify genes that are co-expressed with an individual gene or set of genes and displays the functional enrichment among the co-expressed genes. Database URL: https://a-flavus-expression-db-jyqnpeuvta-uc.a.run.app.