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Aspergillus niger is a fungus and one of the most common species of the genus Aspergillus. It causes black mold on certain types of fruit and vegetables, and is a common contaminant of food. It is one of the common molds known to produce aflatoxin.
Pathogenesis
A. niger is less likely to cause disease than some other Aspergillus species, but if large amounts of the spores are breathed in, the serious lung disease aspergillosis can occur. Aspergillosis is particularly frequent among horticultural workers breathing in peat dust which can be rich in Aspergillus spores. It is less harmful, though not entirely free from risks, if eaten and digested.
Industrial use
A. niger is cultured for the industrial production of some chemical compounds. Various strains of A. niger are used in the industrial preparation of citric acid (E330), gluconic acid (E574) and the enzymes glucoamylase and α-galactosidase (Beano®, Bean-zyme™), and have been assessed as acceptable for daily intake by the World Health Organisation. The fungus is also used by the biotech industry to produce biological macromolecules, especially as magnetic isotope-containing varients for NMR analysis.
Other Uses
Alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme found in Beano and other medications which can prevent flatulence when consumed in conjunction with flatulence-causing foods, is derived from A. Niger ,it is also used in sake production.
A T2-RNase protein that is produced by A. Niger, ACTIBIND, is under investiation and development at Hebrew University of Jerusalem as an anticancer drug. Due to its ability to bind actin and to interfere with cytoskeletal network structure, ACTIBIND inhibits growth of cell extensions and cell migration in cancer and in endothelial cells. In mice, ACTIBIND inhibited HT-29 xenograft tumor development. In rats, it exerted preventive and therapeutic effects on dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic tumors as well as on the degree of tumor vascularization. An article in the journal Cancer, May 15, 2006, suggests that ACTIBIND is an effective anticarcinogenic and antiangiogenic protein.
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"Aspergillus niger"