Production of mycophenolic acid by fungi of the genus Penicillium link

Out of 36 strains of fungi of the genus Penicillium, some of which were isolated from ancient permafrost, 14 strains synthesized mycophenolic acid (MPA). Maximal (over 500 mg/l) accumulation of MPA in culture liquid was observed in P. brevicompactum strains (VKM F-457, VKM F-477, and VKM F-1150). This was the first study to detect MPA in representatives of the species P. rugulosum; in three strains of this species (VKM FW-665, VKM FW-717, and VKM FW-733), the level of MPA accumulation exceeded 300 mg/l. The time course of the synthesis of MPA by P. rugulosum strain VKM FW-733 was studied. It was shown that the synthesis of this metabolite was dramatically intensified during the stationary growth phase (ten days).Translated from Prikladnaya Biokhimiya i Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 95–98.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Vinokurova, Ivanushkina, Kochkina, Arinbasarov, Ozerskaya.