Adenine Auxotrophic Mutants of Aspergillus oryzae: Development of a Novel Transformation System with Triple Auxotrophic Hosts

adeA and adeB genes homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae ADE1 and ADE2, respectively, were cloned from Aspergillus oryzae. AdeA and AdeB share 62.8% and 52.5% identities with S. cerevisiae Ade1 and Ade2, respectively. In order to obtain triple auxotrophic mutants from A. oryzae, 12 red-colored mutant colonies were isolated by UV mutagenesis of a double auxotrophic host, NS4 (niaD ^?, sC ^?), as a parent strain. All the mutants exhibited adenine auxotrophy and showed fluorescence in the vacuoles due to accumulation of a purine biosynthetic pathway precursor. Adenine auxotrophy of all the mutants was restored by introduction of either A. oryzae adeA or adeB genes. Sequence analysis demonstrated that substitutions or deletions of a single base pair occurred, inducing substitutions or frame shifts of amino acid sequences in both ade genes complementing the mutants. This study provides a novel host-vector system with triple auxotrophy in A. oryzae.     

米曲霉和黑曲霉营养缺陷型的分离及原生质体的制备

米曲霉(Aspergillus oryzae)3042是目前国内酱油生产中广泛使用的菌种,而黑曲霉(Aspergillus niger)3350则是制醋业中广泛使用的菌种。前者具有较高的蛋白酶活性而后者具有较高的淀粉酶活性。在酱油生产中,为了提高原料利用率,改善酱油风味,希望获得一株既有较高的蛋白酶活性同时又具有较高淀粉酶活性的杂交菌株作为     

Aspergillus oryzae nrtA affects kojic acid production

We analyzed the role of the nitrate transporter-encoding gene (nrtA) of Aspergillus oryzae by gene disruption. Southern hybridization analysis indicated that homologous recombination occurred at the resident nrtA locus. Real-time PCR showed that the nrtA gene was strongly inducible by NaNO₃. The nrtA disruptant did not exhibit normal growth when nitrate was available as the sole nitrogen source. These results indicate that NrtA is essential for nitrate uptake in A. oryzae. Kojic acid (KA) production was inhibited by the addition of a small amount of sodium nitrate. The nrtA-disrupted strain was deficient in the uptake of nitrate. As a result, KA production in this strain was not considerably affected by the presence of nitrate.     

米曲霉木糖还原酶基因的克隆及序列分析

木糖还原酶（XR, EC 1.1.1.21）是真菌微生物代谢木糖的关键酶之一。本文以米曲霉基因组DNA为模板,克隆木糖还原酶基因（xr,GenBank登录号：FJ957890.1）,并对XR的序列、系统进化树、理化性质及蛋白结构等进行生物信息学分析。结果表明： xr基因序列长1449 bp,其中开放阅读框长960 bp,编码319个氨基酸,蛋白质分子质量35.9 kDa,等电点为5.78;米曲霉XR与其他菌种XR有较高的同一性,含有醛酮还原酶家族的两个指纹结构和一个参与辅酶结合活性位点指纹结构,以及醛酮还原酶家族典型的（β/α）8 TIM桶结构,说明米曲霉XR属于醛酮还原酶家族。     

黄曲霉和米曲霉的多相鉴定方法

【背景】黄曲霉(Aspergillus flavus)和米曲霉(Aspergillus oryzae)形态特征相近,基因组高度相似,较难区分。【目的】旨在总结一套准确鉴别二者的分类方法。【方法】利用22株标准菌株对传统形态学、产毒培养基、酶联免疫毒素检测、系统发育分析、产毒基因检测等5种鉴别方法分别进行验证。【结果】各鉴定方法的结果存在异同,单一的鉴定方法容易出现假阴性或假阳性结果。【结论】利用单一方法区分黄曲霉和米曲霉具有潜在风险,多相鉴定方法可以准确鉴别二者。     

Ergothioneine production with Aspergillus oryzae

To establish a reliable and practical ergothioneine (ERG) supply, we employed fermentative ERG production using Aspergillus oryzae, a fungus used for food production. We heterologously overexpressed the egt-1 and -2 genes of Neurospora crassa in A. oryzae and succeeded in producing ERG (231.0 mg/kg of media, which was 20 times higher than the wild type).

Abbreviations: ERG: ergothioneine; HER: hercynine; Cys-HER: hercynylcysteine-sulfoxide; SAM: S-adenosylmethionine; SAH: S-adenosylhomocysteine; l-His: l-histidine; l-Cys: l-cysteine; LC-ESI-MS: liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry     

Molecular Cloning,Overexpression, and Purification of a Major Xylanase from Aspergillus oryzae

The gene encoding xylanase G2 (xynG2) was isolated from a genomic library of Aspergillus oryzae KBN616, used for making shoyu koji. The structural part of xynG2 was found to be 767 bp. The nucleotide sequence of cDNA amplified by RT-PCR showed that the open reading frame of xynG2 was interrupted by a single intron which was 71 bp in size and encoded 232 amino acids. Direct N-terminal amino acid sequencing showed that the precursor of XynG2 had a signal peptide of 44 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence of XynG2 has strong similarity to other family 11 xylanases from fungi. The xynG2 gene was successfully overexpressed in A. oryzae and the overpexpressed XynG2 was purified. The molecular weight of XynG2 estimated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 21,000. This was almost the same as the molecular weight of 20,047 calculated from the deduced amino acid sequence. The purified XynG2 showed an optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 58°C. It had a Km of 5.1 mg/ml and a Vmax of 123 μmol/min/mg when birch wood xylan was used as a substrate.     

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of one of the most highly expressed genes, a pdcA homolog of Aspergillus nidulans, in Aspergillus oryzae

A homolog of Aspergillus nidulans pdcA that is probably one of the most highly expressed in Aspergillus oryzae ATCC 22788 was isolated, as measured by the frequency among randomly selected 324 expressed sequence tags. It has an 1,632 bp open reading frame for a polypeptide of about 60 kDa. Its amino acid sequence revealed 74% identity and 84% similarity to that of A. nidulans pyruvate decarboxylase.     

Morphology engineering of Aspergillus oryzae for l-malate production

Aspergillus oryzae is a competitive natural producer for organic acids, but its production capacity is closely correlated with a specific morphological type. Here, morphology engineering was used for tailoring A. oryzae morphology to enhance l -malate production. Specifically, correlation between A. oryzae morphology and l -malate fermentation was first conducted, and the optimal range of the total volume of pellets in a unit volume of fermentation broth (V value) for l -malate production was 120–130 mm³/ml. To achieve this range, A. oryzae morphology was improved by controlling the variation of operational parameters, such as agitation speed and aeration rate, and engineered by optimizing the expression of cell division cycle proteins such as tyrosine-protein phosphatase (CDC14), anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome activator protein (CDC20), and cell division control protein 45 (CDC45). By controlling the strength of CDC14 at a medium level, V value fell into the optimal range of V value and the final engineered strain A. oryzae CDC14(3) produced up to 142.5 g/L l -malate in a 30-L fermenter. This strategy described here lays a good foundation for industrial production of l -malate in the future, and opens a window to develop filamentous fungi as cell factories for production of other chemicals.     

Development of enzyme technology for Aspergillus oryzae,A. sojae,and A. luchuensis,the national microorganisms of Japan

This paper describes the modern enzymology in Japanese bioindustries. The invention of Takadiastase by Jokiti Takamine in 1894 has revolutionized the world of industrial enzyme production by fermentation. In 1949, a new γ-amylase (glucan 1,4-α-glucosidase, EC 3.2.1.3) from A. luchuensis (formerly designated as A. awamori), was found by Kitahara. RNase T₁ (guanyloribonuclease, EC 3.1.27.3) was discovered by Sato and Egami. Ando discovered Aspergillus nuclease S₁ (single-stranded nucleate endonuclease, EC 3.1.30.1). Aspergillopepsin I (EC 3.4.23.18) from A. tubingensis (formerly designated as A. saitoi) activates trypsinogen to trypsin. Shintani et al. demonstrated Asp76 of aspergillopepsin I as the binding site for the basic substrate, trypsinogen. The new oligosaccharide moieties Man₁₀GlcNAc₂ and Man₁₁GlcNAc₂ were identified with α-1,2-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.113) from A. tubingensis. A yeast mutant compatible of producing Man₅GlcNAc₂ human compatible sugar chains on glycoproteins was constructed. The acid activation of protyrosinase from A. oryzae at pH 3.0 was resolved. The hyper-protein production system of glucoamylase was established in a submerged culture.     

Cultivation characteristics of immobilized Aspergillus oryzae for kojic acid production

Aspergillus oryzae in situ grown from spores entrapped in calcium alginate gel beads was used for the production of kojic acid. The immobilized cells in flask cultures produced kojic acid in a linear proportion while maintaining the stable metabolic activity for a prolonged production period. Kojic acid was accumulated up to a high concentration of 83 g/L, at which the kojic acid began to crystallize, and, thus, the culture had to be replaced with fresh media for the next batch culture. The overall productivities of two consecutive cultivations were higher than that of free mycelial fermentation. However, the production rate of kojic acid by the immobilized cells was suddenly decreased with the appearance of central cavernae inside the immobilized gel beads after 12 days of the third batch cultivation.     

紫外诱变选育米曲霉高产蛋白酶菌株

以从自然发酵黄豆酱中筛选的5株野生米曲霉为供试菌株,以这些菌株产蛋白酶(酸、中、碱)、淀粉酶(α-淀粉酶、糖化酶)活力大小为评价标准,筛选出米曲霉K61作为诱变出发菌株。采用紫外诱变对米曲霉K61菌株进行改造,最终筛选出一株蛋白酶活力高且遗传性能稳定的突变株Y29。将米曲霉Y29菌株应用于黄豆酱的生产中,并与目前工业生产中广泛应用的米曲霉沪酿3.042菌株进行比较。性能实验结果表明米曲霉Y29菌株的蛋白酶(酸、中、碱)活力明显高于米曲霉沪酿3.042菌株,但α-淀粉酶、糖化酶、生长速度和孢子数这4个指标两者的差异并不显著;制酱品质试验结果表明,米曲霉Y29菌株的酱香更浓郁一些,氨基酸态氮含量达到0.77g/100mL,高于米曲霉沪酿3.042菌株,其它指标均符合国家标准GB2718-1996。     

米曲霉FleA基因的原核表达及纯化

目的 研究米曲霉FleA基因克隆菌株的构建及米曲霉凝集素(Aspergillus oryzae lectin,AOL)蛋白表达。 方法 培养米曲霉RIB40,TRIzol法提取米曲霉RNA,用反转录试剂盒合成FleA全基因,设计引物扩增FleA基因,并将此片段与PJET克隆质粒连接构建克隆菌株,经双酶切筛选出阳性克隆菌株送去测序,将序列正确的克隆菌与表达载体pET 28a(+)分别经过双酶切后连接,转化到宿主菌E. coil BL21,IPTG诱导AOL目的蛋白表达,SDS PAGE 检测分析。 结果 PCR成功扩增获得FleA基因,大小约950 bp,成功连接至PJET克隆载体后,经双酶切回收后又与pET 28a(+)成功连接,经过IPTG诱导后SDS PAGE检测结果显示目的基因成功表达。 结论 该研究成功构建了米曲霉FleA基因,获得了表达蛋白,为今后结构和功能研究奠定了一定的基础。     

Transformation of Aspergillus aculeatus Using the Drug Resistance Gene of Aspergillus oryzae and the pyrG Gene of Aspergillus nidulans

Transformation systems for Aspergillus aculeatus has been developed, based on the use of the pyrithiamine resistance gene of Aspergillus oryzae and the orotidine-5′-monophosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrG) of Aspergillus nidulans. An A. aculeatus mutant which can be transformed effectively by the A. nidulans pyrG gene was isolated as a transformation host. This is the first report of transformation of A. aculeatus.     

提高蛋白质在米曲霉中表达量的策略

米曲霉是一种重要的微生物,在食品、酿造、商业酶和医用蛋白的生产中具有广泛的应用,该菌被美国食品与药品管理局(FDA)认定为GRAS(generally regarded as safe)级。讨论了提高同源和异源蛋白在米曲霉中表达量的几种策略,包括使用强启动子、多拷贝编码基因、优化培养基和超表达血红素结构域(HBD)等。异源蛋白容易被米曲霉蛋白酶降解,表达量往往较低,因此使用蛋白酶缺陷型宿主菌是非常必要的。另外将外源蛋白与米曲霉高分泌蛋白融合表达也是提高异源蛋白产量的有效途径。     

Development of a Versatile Expression Plasmid Construction System for Aspergillus oryzae and Its Application to Visualization of Mitochondria

We report here a development of the MultiSite Gateway^TM-based versatile plasmid construction system applicable for the rapid and efficient preparation of Aspergillus oryzae expression plasmids. This system allows the simultaneous connection of the three DNA fragments inserted in entry clones along with a destination vector in a defined order and orientation. We prepared a variety of entry clones and destination vectors containing promoters, genes encoding carrier-proteins and fusion tags, and selectable markers, which makes it possible to generate 80 expression plasmids for each target protein. Using this system, plasmids for expression of the EGFP fused with the mitochondrial-targeting signal of citrate synthase (AoCit1) were generated. Tubular structures of mitochondria were visualized in the transformants expressing the AoCit1-EGFP fusion protein. This plasmid construction system allows us to prepare a large number of expression plasmids without laborious DNA manipulations, which would facilitate molecular biological studies on A. oryzae.     

Pathway and rate-limiting step of glyphosate degradation by Aspergillus oryzae A-F02

Aspergillus oryzae A-F02, a glyphosate-degrading fungus, was isolated from an aeration tank in a pesticide factory. The pathway and rate-limiting step of glyphosate (GP) degradation were investigated through metabolite analysis. GP, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and methylamine were detected in the fermentation liquid of A. oryzae A-F02, whereas sarcosine and glycine were not. The pathway of GP degradation in A. oryzae A-F02 was revealed: GP was first degraded into AMPA, which was then degraded into methylamine. Finally, methylamine was further degraded into other products. Investigating the effects of the exogenous addition of substrates and metabolites showed that the degradation of GP to AMPA is the rate-limiting step of GP degradation by A. oryzae A-F02. In addition, the accumulation of AMPA and methylamine did not cause feedback inhibition in GP degradation. Results showed that degrading GP to AMPA was a crucial step in the degradation of GP, which determines the degradation rate of GP by A. oryzae A-F02.     

Transformation of the filamentous fungus Gibberella fujikuroi using the Aspergillus niger niaD gene encoding nitrate reductase

Summary A transformation system for Gibberella fujikuroi based on the Aspergillus niger nitrate reductase gene (niaD) was developed. A strain (designated SG140) carrying a non-reverting niaD mutation (niaD11) was generated by screening mutagenised cells for non-growth on nitrate as sole nitrogen source. Transformation frequencies of 1–2 transformants per g DNA were observed when strain SG140 was transformed to nitrate utilisation. Southern blot analyses of niaD⁺ transformants showed that the vector DNA sequences were integrated into the chromosomal DNA. The results demonstrate that the A. niger niaD gene is expressed in G. fujikuroi.     

Identification and Characterization of an Intracellular Lectin,Calnexin, from Aspergillus oryzae Using N-Glycan-Conjugated Beads

Recently, asparagine-linked oligosaccharides (N-glycans) have been found to play a pivotal role in glycoprotein quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In order to screen proteins interacting with N-glycans, we developed affinity chromatography by conjugating synthetic N-glycans on sepharose beads. Using the affinity beads with the dodecasaccharide Glc₁Man₉GlcNAc₂, one structure of the N-glycans, a 75-kDa protein, was isolated from the membranous fraction including the ER in Aspergillus oryzae. By LC-MS/MS analysis using the A. oryzae genome database, the protein was identified as one (AO090009000313) sharing similarities with calnexin. Further affinity chromatographic experiments suggested that the protein specifically bound to Glc₁Man₉GlcNAc₂, similarly to mammalian calnexins. We designated the gene AoclxA and expressed it as a fusion gene with egfp, revealing the ER localization of the AoClxA protein. Our results suggest that our affinity chromatography with synthetic N-glycans might help in biological analysis of glycoprotein quality control in the ER.