~ 18 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2019; 8(4): 18-20 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.03 TPI 2019; 8(4): 18-20 © 2019 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 11-02-2019 Accepted: 13-03-2019 Dani Benchamin PG & Research, Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Sreejai R P.G & Research Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Jensy Roshan F PG & Research Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Sujitha S PG & Research Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Beena S Kurup PG & Research Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Albert C Department of Zoology & Research Centre, Scott Christian College (Autonomous) Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India Correspondence Dani Benchamin PG & Research, Department of Zoology, St. Stephen’s College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, India Morphological and molecular identification of L- Asparaginase producing fungus from Annona muricata Dani Benchamin, Sreejai R, Jensy Roshan F, Sujitha S, Beena S Kurup, Albert C Abstract The identification of L-Asparaginase producing fungal organisms has gained considerable attention because of its less allergic properties. The present investigation deals with the morphological and molecular identification of L-Asparaginase producing fungi from the leaves of the medicinal plant A. muricata. It was confirmed that the fungal isolate obtained from A. muricata has the potential to produce- Asparaginase and the fungal species was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus. Keywords: L-Asparaginase, Annona muricata, Aspergillus fumigatus, Czapek Dox medium Introduction The tropical plant species A. muricata is very well known for its medicinal properties. The plant parts such as bark, leaves, seed and fruit have been used as a curative substance for a wide variety of health issues [1] . The anticancer enzyme L-Asparaginase has been derived from various microorganisms isolated from different parts of many medicinal plants [2, 3] . Surprisingly A. muricata is also a rich source of L-Asparaginase producing fungus [4]. The L- Asparaginase is from a fungal source is more suitable than other microbial sources because of its less allergic properties when it is used in the treatment of cancer [5] . Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the condition where the blood cells become cancerous and in this case, L- Asparaginase is an amazing remedial measure for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The detection of L-Asparaginase as an anticancer drug and its further investigation began in 1953. Researchers found that the guinea pig serum has the capability to fight against lymphomas in rat and mice. Later they discovered that the L-Asparaginase enzyme present in guinea pig serum was responsible for the prevention of lymphomas [6, 7] . Microorganisms are widely used for the production of L-Asparaginase because of their effortless optimization and high yield by genetic modification. Nowadays fungal L-Asparaginase is preferred by many researchers because of their reduced side effects. The reviews showed that the Genus Aspergillus has the ability to produce L-Asparaginase [8] . The identification of L-Asparaginase producing fungi up to molecular level is very essential in anti-cancer research and it will be helpful for the enormous production of L-Asparaginase. The present investigation deals with the morphological and molecular identification of fungus isolated from the medicinal plant A. muricata. Materials and Methods Collection of plant sample The leaf samples were collected from the medicinal plant A. muricata growing in the southern Western Ghat regions of Kerala. Isolation and screening for L-Asparaginase Mortar and pestle was used to ground the samples to very fine paste and serial dilution was used for the isolation of fungal organism [9] . The modified Czapek Dox agar medium with a pH 6.2 and phenol red as indicator were employed in the screening for L-Asparaginase. The formation of pink color around the colonies indicated the production of L-Asparaginase [10] . Identification of fungal species The morphological and microscopical characteristics of isolated fungi were identified by following the method Lacto Phenol Cotton Blue Staining [11] . For the molecular identification,