Aspergillus terreus: Taxonomy, biology, and bioactive secondary metabolites with potential applications

The members of the genus Aspergillus have worldwide distribution due to their extensive span over diverse ecological habitats. They have profound impacts on the environmental, ecological, economical, biotechnological, and medical fields. This has made it necessary to resolve the taxonomical identity of these fungi with a holistic polyphasic approach through morphology, genotyping, and extrolite profiling. Aspergillus comprises 6 subgenera and 24 sections including 344 valid species. Aspergillus terreus belonging to the section Terrei under the subgenus Circumdati is a common soil saprophyte. This chapter discusses the recent advancements and roles of A. terreus in various sectors with an emphasis on medical research. The availability of the whole genome sequence for .. terreus makes it useful for designing multilocus sequence typing schemes using the protein coding genes. .. terreus has gained popularity as it produces lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug. Apart from this, various secondary metabolites such as terreulactones, 11-α hydroprogesterone (antitumor compounds), quadrone (antibiotic terrecyclic acid A), and terpeptin (a cell cycle inhibitor) have also been reported. .. terreus has also been reported as an effective agent for the bioremediation of heavy metals. It has also been described as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) degrading strain, isolated from terrestrial ecosystems.