FIG. 1.

Aspergillus fumigatus genome includes a ku70 orthologue. (A) Structure of the genomic A. fumigatus akuA gene and the deleted akuA::ptrA locus of strain AfS28. Recognition sites for restriction enzymes as employed in Southern analyses are indicated; the positions of 5′- and 3′-specific probes are given as black bars. (B) Autoradiographs from Southern membranes. Genomic DNA from strains D141 (wild type) and AfS28 (akuAΔ) was subjected to digestion with enzymes BamHI (Ba), BclI (Bc), SphI (Sp), NcoI (Ni), and NsiI (Ns), and separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. After blotting and immobilization, membranes were hybridized with a radioactively labeled 5′-specific (left panel) or 3′-specific (right panel) probe as specified in panel A; M indicates the DNA size standard with fragments' lengths given on either edge. (C) Assessment of strain AfS28 in an insect virulence model. Groups of 15 larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella were infected with 8 × 10⁶ conidia from D141 and AfS28, respectively, by injection of a 20-μl conidial suspension in saline supplemented with 10 μg/ml rifampin in the left last proleg. Larvae were kept in the dark at 30°C and inspected on a daily basis for motility and melanization.