News Release

Major aspergillus genomics supplement published by journal Fungal Genetics and Biology

Business Announcement

Elsevier

Amsterdam, 2 April 2009 – A major effort from within the Aspergillus community has resulted in the publication of an exceptional supplement by the Elsevier journal Fungal Genetics and Biology (www.elsevier.com/locate/yfgbi). The supplement provides extensive studies based on the genome analysis of two Aspergillus species: Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus nidulans. The publication was enabled by Eurofungbase, a coordination action programme funded by the European Commission, and was strongly supported by DSM.

Aspergillus species are widely exploited by the fermentation industry for the production of foodstuffs, enzymes and organic acids. Others have been object of study for many years because of their use in the development of medications to treat human and animal infections.

Prof. Neil Gow, Editor-in-Chief of Fungal Genetics and Biology, commented: "The vast amount of data that is captured in the Aspergillus supplement will support fungal biologists around the globe and help to inform those whose work is dedicated to fighting fungal infections."

The large scale A. nidulans and A. niger annotation projects that are the basis of the publication, base their success on combining the strengths of different expert groups. Dr. Jaap Visser, one of the Guest Editors and main driver behind the project, noted: "Besides mobilizing the Aspergillus community, this meant preparing and developing an outstanding infrastructure that would enable such a large annotation effort to be effective."

The publication aims to stimulate research on A. nidulans and A. niger in order to increase knowledge of these organisms and their application on key issues of today's world: health, environment and food. The supplement provides an invaluable resource not just for scientists studying Aspergillus, but for a large community of fungal biologists and medical researchers worldwide.

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Notes to editors:

The supplement of Fungal Genetics and Biology, volume 46, issue 1, supplement 1; Thematic Issue: Aspergillus Genomics and Beyond (Guest Editors: Jaap Visser, Jennifer Russo Wortman, Albert J.J. van Ooyen, Scott Baker, Jens Nielsen and Cees van den Hondel), will be freely accessible online until June 15, 2009. Go to: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10871845 and click on Volume 46, Issue 1, Supplement 1,Pages S1-S190 (March 2009)

About Fungal Genetics and Biology

Fungal Genetics and Biology, formerly known as Experimental Mycology, is a leading resource for current research in fungal biology. The journal features articles by mycologists, cell biologists, biochemists, geneticists, and molecular biologists, focusing on experimental investigations of fungi and their traditional allies that relate structure and function to growth, reproduction, morphogenesis, and differentiation.

About Eurofung

The Eurofung network (www.eurofung.net), founded in 1995, consists of more than 30 leading European research groups working in the areas of filamentous fungal biology and biotechnology. The consortium investigates basic aspects in order to explore and enlarge the possibilities to use filamentous fungi as efficient cell factories or to cure fungal diseases. The network is associated with and supported by a large Fungal Industrial Platform (FIP) of small, medium-sized and large European biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies. The Eurofung activities have been financially supported by the European Commission through several grants the latest of which supported the Eurofungbase project (LSSG – CT – 2005-018964). This project resulted in version 4 of the A. nidulans genome annotation (http://www.cadre-genomes.org.uk).

About DSM

Royal DSM N.V. (www.dsm.com) creates innovative products and services in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences that contribute to the quality of life. Aspergillus niger is a micro-organism that DSM uses for the production of enzymes and other compounds. In 2007, DSM published a paper in "Nature Biotechnology" announcing the release of the DNA sequence of A. niger. The genome was the result of a major project in which DSM scientists worked together with some thirty research partners across the world.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).


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