ABSTRACT

The genus Aspergillus belongs to a large group of filamentous fungi, the Ascomycetes. The study of membrane lipids of Aspergillus has drawn some attention during the past few decades since drugs directed against these lipids are often used to cure aspergillosis, a disease caused by an Aspergillus species. Major lipids of membranes of eukaryotic cells are glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, glycolipids and sterols. Generally glycolipids are the least studied fungal lipids, although they are widely distributed in fungi. Phospholipases also influence phospholipid turnover; however, this aspect of lipid metabolism has not been investigated in Aspergillus. Triacylglycerols may comprise over 90% of the lipid in fungi, varying considerably according to the species, stage of development and growth conditions. The spatial organization and composition of phospholipids in the membrane modulates membrane functions such as transport of solutes, amino acids, metabolic flux within intracellular compartments, etc.