National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
The simultaneous publication of three "Aspergillus" genome manuscripts in "Nature" in December 2005 established the genus as the leading filamentous fungal genus for comparative genomic studies. Like most major genome projects, these efforts were collaborations between a large sequencing centre and the respective community of scientists. For example, the Institute for Genome Research (TIGR) worked with the "A. fumigatus" community. "A. nidulans" was sequenced at the Broad Institute. "A. oryzae" was sequenced in Japan at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The Joint Genome Institute of the Department of Energy has released sequence data for a citric acid-producing strain of "A. niger". TIGR, now renamed the J. Craig Venter Institute, is currently spearheading a project on the "A. flavus" genome.