[LTR retrotransposons from genomes of Aspergillus fumigatus and A. nidulans].

Fungi Aspergillus spp. are able to infect all tissues and organs and often cause invasive mycosis (aspergillosis), which is usually a fatal disease, especially in the patients with compromised immune system. Microbiological monitoring of these infectious agents is necessary in modem medical facilities. Mobile elements can be used as markers for identification of species and strains of Aspergillus found indoors as well as in aspergillosis diagnostics. Genomic sequences of two representative Aspergillus species, A. fumigatus and A. nidulans, were analysed in silico in order to detect LTR retrotransposons. We found considerable differences in the composition of retrotransposon families between two studied species. One of the detected families, which is present in both studied Aspergillus species, is phylogenetically quite different from all other known fungal retrotransposons. The majority of elements are represented by damaged copies. Nevertheless, we describe for the first time allegedly non-damaged LTR copies that contain intact ORFs and could be active.