Molecular cloning and characterization of rpbA encoding RNA polymerase II largest subunit from a filamentous fungus, Aspergillus oryzae

We have cloned rpbA encoding the RNA polymerase II largest subunit (polIIL) from a filamentous fungus, Aspergillus oryzae. The rpbA product included eight highly conserved regions and the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). A. oryzae polIIL CTD with 184 amino acids was composed of 25 CTD consensus repeats, which was a similar number to those of lower eukaryotes. The amino acids in each repeat of A. oryzae polIIL, however, conformed less to the CTD consensus than those of polIILs from other lower eukaryotes.     

Molecular cloning and overexpression of fleA gene encoding a fucose-specific lectin of Aspergillus oryzae

A protein from the cell lysate of Aspergillus oryzae was purified by column chromatography immobilized with a ferrichrysin (Fcy), which is one of the siderophores of A. oryzae. It is produced only in an iron-deficient culture and its molecular weight is estimated as 35,000 by SDS-PAGE. Two internal amino acid sequences of the protein obtained by lysylendopeptidase digestion were analyzed. Molecular cloning shows that it encodes 310 putative amino acid residues separated by 4 introns and is designated as fleA. It shows approximately 26% similarity with the gene encoding a fucose-specific lectin of Aleuria aurantia (AAL). The gene was overexpressed under control of the melO promoter in a submerged culture of A. oryzae. The fleA gene product showed hemagglutination activity against rabbit erythrocytes. A hemagglutination inhibition assay of monosaccharides showed that this lectin specifically binds to L-fucose and weakly reacts with mannose and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid.     

Sequence analysis and overexpression of a pectin lyase gene (pel1) from Aspergillus oryzae KBN616

A gene (pel1) encoding pectin lyase (Pel1) was isolated from a shoyu koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae KBN616, and characterized. The structural gene comprised 1,196 bp with a single intron. The ORF encoded 381 amino acids with a signal peptide of 20 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high similarity to those of Aspergillus niger pectin lyases and Glomerella cingulata PnlA. The pel1 gene was successfully overexpressed under the promoter of the A. oryzae TEF1 gene. The molecular mass of the recombinant pectin lyase substantially coincided with that calculated based on nucleotide sequence.     

Pectin methylesterase gene (pmeA) from Aspergillus oryzae KBN616: its sequence analysis and overexpression, and characterization of the gene product

A gene (pmeA) encoding pectin methylesterase was isolated from a shoyu koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae KBN616, and characterized. The structural gene comprised 1,370 bp with six introns. The PMEA protein consisted of 331 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 17 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence was very similar to those of Aspergillus niger PMEA and Aspergillus aculeatus PME1. The pmeA gene was efficiently expressed under control of the A. oryzae TEF1 gene promoter for purification and characterization of the ezymatic properties. PMEA had a molecular mass of 38.5 kDa, a pH optimum of 5.0, and a temperature optimum of 55 degrees C.     

Cloning and characterization of vmaA,the gene encoding a 69-kDa catalytic subunit of the vacuolar H+-ATPase during alkaline pH mediated growth of Aspergillus oryzae

Screening of a cDNA library constructed under alkaline pH mediated growth of Aspergillus oryzae implicated a vacuolar H+-ATPase gene (vmaA) as a putative candidate involved in alkaline pH adaptation. A. oryzae vmaA genomic DNA extended to 2072 bp including three introns and encoded a protein of 605 amino acids. VmaAp was homologous to Vma-1p from Neurospora crassa (71%), Vma1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (69%) and ATP6A2 from human (49%). The vmaA cDNA complemented S. cerevisiae V-ATPase disrupted strain (Deltavma1) was viable at alkaline pH 8.0 and in the presence of CaCl(2) (100 mM). Northern analysis revealed an enhanced expression of vmaA during growth of A. oryzae in alkaline medium (pH 10.0). The A. oryzae vmaA disruptant exhibited abnormally shrunken vacuoles and hyphal walls at pH 8.5 and a growth defect at pH 10.0, implicating an alkaline pH stress responsive role for vmaA in A. oryzae.     

Efficient heterologous expression in Aspergillus oryzae of a unique dye-decolorizing peroxidase, DyP, of Geotrichum candidum Dec 1

Efficient expression of the dye-decolorizing peroxidase, DyP, from Geotrichum candidum Dec 1 in Aspergillus oryzae M-2-3 was achieved by fusing mature cDNA encoding dyp with the A. oryzae alpha-amylase promoter (amyB). The activity yield of the purified recombinant DyP (rDyP) was 42-fold compared with that of the purified native DyP from Dec 1. No exogenous heme was necessary for the expression of rDyP in A. oryzae. From the N-terminal amino acid sequence analyses of native DyP and rDyP, the absence of a histidine residue in both DyPs, which was considered to be important for heme binding of DyP, was confirmed. These results suggest that rDyP without a typical heme-binding region produced by A. oryzae exhibits a function similar to that of native DyP.     

Cloning and structural analysis of bglM gene coding for the fungal cell wall-lytic beta-1,3-glucan-hydrolase BglM of Bacillus circulans IAM1165

Bacillus circulans IAM1165 produces isoforms of beta-1,3-glucan-hydrolases. Of these enzymes, the 42-kDa enzyme BgIM degrades Aspergillus oryzae cell walls the most actively. A gene coding for a BgIM precursor consisting of 411 amino acid residues was cloned. The 27 N-terminal amino acid sequence of the precursor is a signal peptide. The 141 C-terminal amino acid sequence showed a motif of carbohydrate-binding module family 13. This domain bound to pachyman, lichenan, and A. oryzae cell walls. The central domain showed a bacterial beta-1,3-glucan-hydrolase motif belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 16. By removal of the C-terminal domain in the IAM1165 culture, mature BglM was processed to several 27-kDa fragments that hydrolyze a soluble beta-1,3-glucan.     

A non-specific aminopeptidase from Aspergillus

A fermentation broth supernatant of the Aspergillus oryzae strain ATCC20386 contains aminopeptidase activity that releases a wide variety of amino acids from natural peptides. The supernatant was fractionated by anion exchange chromatography. Based on the primary amino acid sequence data obtained from proteins in certain fractions, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were made and a PCR product was generated. This PCR product was used to screen an A. oryzae cDNA library from which the full length gene was then obtained. Fusarium venenatum and A. oryzae were used as hosts for gene expression. Transformed strains of both F. venenatum and A. oryzae over-expressed an active aminopeptidase (E.C. 3.4.11), named aminopeptidase II. The recombinant enzyme from both fungal hosts appeared as smears on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After deglycosylation of the N-linked sugars, both samples were a sharp band at approximately 56 kDa and had identical N-terminal amino acid sequences. Aminopeptidase II is a metalloenzyme with, presumably, Zn in the active site. Using various natural peptides and para-nitroanilides (pNAs) of amino acids as substrates, the aminopeptidase was found to be non-specific. Only X-Pro bonds demonstrated resistance to hydrolysis catalyzed by this aminopeptidase. The optimal enzyme activity was observed at pH 9.5 and 55 degrees C. Among amino acid pNAs, Leu-pNA appears to have the highest value of bimolecular constant of 40 min(-1) mM(-1) (k(cat) = 230 min(-1); K(m) = 5.8 mM) at pH 7.5 and 21 degrees C. Among Xaa-Ala-Pro-Tyr-Lys-amide pentapeptides, the velocity of catalytic hydrolysis at pH 7.5 and 21 degrees C was in a decreasing order: Pro, Ala, Leu, Gly and Glu.     

Novel hydrophobic surface binding protein, HsbA, produced by Aspergillus oryzae

Hydrophobic surface binding protein A (HsbA) is a secreted protein (14.5 kDa) isolated from the culture broth of Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 grown in a medium containing polybutylene succinate-co-adipate (PBSA) as a sole carbon source. We purified HsbA from the culture broth and determined its N-terminal amino acid sequence. We found a DNA sequence encoding a protein whose N terminus matched that of purified HsbA in the A. ozyzae genomic sequence. We cloned the hsbA genomic DNA and cDNA from A. oryzae and constructed a recombinant A. oryzae strain highly expressing hsbA. Orthologues of HsbA were present in animal pathogenic and entomopathogenic fungi. Heterologously synthesized HsbA was purified and biochemically characterized. Although the HsbA amino acid sequence suggests that HsbA may be hydrophilic, HsbA adsorbed to hydrophobic PBSA surfaces in the presence of NaCl or CaCl(2). When HsbA was adsorbed on the hydrophobic PBSA surfaces, it promoted PBSA degradation via the CutL1 polyesterase. CutL1 interacts directly with HsbA attached to the hydrophobic QCM electrode surface. These results suggest that when HsbA is adsorbed onto the PBSA surface, it recruits CutL1, and that when CutL1 is accumulated on the PBSA surface, it stimulates PBSA degradation. We previously reported that when the A. oryzae hydrophobin RolA is bound to PBSA surfaces, it too specifically recruits CutL1. Since HsbA is not a hydrophobin, A. oryzae may use several types of proteins to recruit lytic enzymes to the surface of hydrophobic solid materials and promote their degradation.     

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。     

Effect of phenol on protein and amino acid content of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Leaf blight disease of rice (Oryza sativa) is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Phenol (1 to 4 mM) induced changes in protein profiles of X. o. pv. oryzae and a stress protein with a molecular mass of 69,000 appeared. HPLC analysis indicated occurrence of amino acids such as asparagine, alanine, methionine and cystine in phenol treated cells. Proton NMR analysis also revealed variation on the presence of amino acids in the cells treated with phenol.     

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.     

Sequence variation in class 1 outer membrane protein in Neisseria meningitidis isolated from patients with meningococcal infection and close household contacts

Abstract Aspergillus oryzae , which is widely used for Japanese traditional fermentation, produced at least two lipolytic enzymes (L1 and L2). Southern hybridization analysis of restriction enzyme-digested genomic DNA fragments of Aspergillus oryzae with 23-mer oligonucleotides synthesized according to the amino acid sequence of the enzyme L1 as probes suggested that there is single copy of the L1 gene in the genome. DNA fragments containing the L1 gene were cloned in Escherichia coli . Nucleotide sequencing of the DNA fragments revealed an open reading frame consisting of 213 amino acid residues. It had three putative introns whose sizes were 52 bp, 48 bp and 53 bp, respectively. Putative CAAT and TATA boxes were found at positions −147 and −100 from A (+1) of the translational initiation codon, and a polyadenylation site at 158 bp downstream of the stop codon. The deduced amino acid sequence of the L1 gene was highly similar to those of cutinases from phytopathogenic fungi. Thus, it is interesting to note that the non-phytopathogenic fungus, A. oryzae , produces cutinase, which seems to play an important role in flavor formation.     

Efficient heterologous expression and secretion in Aspergillus oryzae of a llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragment VHH against EGFR

We have constructed a filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae that secretes a llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragment (V(HH)) that binds specifically to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a culture medium. A major improvement in yield was achieved by fusing the V(HH) with a Taka-amylase A signal sequence (sTAA) and a segment of 28 amino acids from the N-terminal region of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (N28). The yields of secreted, immunologically active anti-EGFR V(HH) reached 73.8?mg/1 in a Sakaguchi flask. The V(HH) fragments were released from the sTAA or N28 proteins by an indigenous A. oryzae protease during cultivation. The purified recombinant V(HH) fragment was specifically recognized and could bind to the EGFR with a high affinity.     

Pyrithiamine resistance gene (ptrA) of Aspergillus oryzae: cloning, characterization and application as a dominant selectable marker for transformation

A pyrithiamine (PT) resistance gene (ptrA) was cloned from a genomic DNA library prepared from a PT resistant mutant of Aspergillus oryzae. It conferred high resistance to PT on an A. oryzae industrial strain as well as A. nidulans. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the ptrA gene contained one intron (58-bp) and encodes 327 amino acid (aa) residues. Additionally, the deduced aa sequence has 72% and 63% identity to Fusarium solani sti35 encoding a stress-inducible protein and Saccharomyces cerevisiae THI4 encoding an enzyme involved in thiamine biosynthesis, respectively, indicating that ptrA is a mutated allele of a gene belonging to the THI4 family. The mutation point was identified in the conserved motif in 5'-flanking region of these three THI4 homologous genes (ptrA, sti35, and THI4). The introduction of the ptrA gene allowed an A. oryzae industrial strain to grow on the minimum medium containing PT (0.1 mg/l) on which an untransformed strain did not grow. This result indicates that the ptrA is applicable as a dominant selectable marker for transformation of A. oryzae.     

Sequence variability in homologs of the aflatoxin pathway gene aflR distinguishes species in Aspergillus section Flavi.

The Aspergillus parasiticus aflR gene, a gene that may be involved in the regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis, encodes a putative zinc finger DNA-binding protein. PCR and sequencing were used to examine the presence of aflR homologs in other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi. The predicted amino acid sequences indicated that the same zinc finger domain, CTSCASSKVRCTKEKPACARCIERGLAC, was present in all of the Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus parasiticus isolates examined and in some of the Aspergillus oryzae isolates examined. Unique base substitutions and a specific base deletion were found in the 5' untranslated and zinc finger region; these differences provided distinct fingerprints. A. oryzae and A. flavus had the T-G-A-A-X-C fingerprint, whereas A. parasiticus and A sojae had the C-C-C-C-C-T fingerprint at the corresponding positions. Specific nucleotides at positions -90 (C or T) and -132 (G or A) further distinguished A. flavus from A. oryzae and A. parasiticus from A. sojae, respectively. A sojae ATCC 9362, which was previously designated A. oryzae NRRL 1988, was determined to be a A. sojae strain on the basis of the presence of the characteristic fingerprint, A-C-C-C-C-C-C-T. The DNAs of other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi, such as Aspergillus nomius and Aspergillus tamarii, and some isolates of A. oryzae appeared to exhibit low levels of similarity to the A. parasiticus aflR gene since low amounts of PCR products or no PCR products were obtained when DNAs from these strains were used.     

Functional analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">pilQ</Emphasis> gene in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomanas oryzae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis>, bacterial blight pathogen of rice

Bacterial blight (BB) of rice, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is the most devastating bacterial disease in rice. A virulence-attenuated mutant strain HNU89K9 of X. oryzae pv. oryzae (KACC10331), with a transposon insertion in the pilQ gene was used for this study. The pilQ was involved in the gene cluster pilMNOPQ of the Xoo genome. Growth rate of the pilQ mutant was similar to that of wild-type. At level of amino acids, PilQ of Xoo showed that a high sequence identities more than 94% and 70% to Xanthomonas species and to Xyllela fastidiosa, respectively but a low sequence homology less than 30% to other bacterial species. The twitching motility forming a marginal fringe on PSA media was observed on colony of the wild-type strain KACC10331, but not in mutant HNU89K9. Wild-type Xoo cells formed a biofilm on the surface of the PVC plastic test tube, while the mutant strain HNU89K9 did not form a biofilm. The results suggest that the pilQ gene of X. oryzae pv. oryzae plays a critical role in pathogenicity, twitching motility, and biofilm formation.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of cnaA gene encoding the catalytic subunit of calcineurin from Aspergillus oryzae

Calcineurin has been implicated in ion-homeostasis, stress adaptation in yeast and for hyphal growth in filamentous fungi. Genomic DNA and cDNA encoding the catalytic subunit of calcineurin (cnaA) were isolated from Aspergillus oryzae. The cnaA open reading frame extended to 1727 bp and encoded a putative protein of 514 amino acids. Comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequence of cnaA genomic DNA and cDNA confirmed the presence of three introns and a highly conserved calmodulin binding domain. The deduced amino acid sequence was homologous to calcineurin A from Aspergillus nidulans (92%), Neurospora crassa (84%), human (67%), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (58%) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (54%). Further, A. oryzae cnaA cDNA complemented S. cerevisiae calcineurin disruptant strain (Deltacmp1 Deltacmp2), which was not viable in the presence of high concentrations of NaCl (1.2 M) and at alkaline pH 8.5.