Enhanced acetyl esterase production by Fusarium oxysporum

Production of acetyl esterase (EC 3.1.1.6) by Fusarium oxysporum strain F3 was enhanced by optimization of growth conditions. Under optimal conditions, activities as high as 0.89U/ml of culture medium were obtained. The culture filtrate was equally active on p-nitrophenyl acetate and acetylxylan. The enzyme produced 71% deacetylation of acetylxylan in 2h at 40C. Activity was optimized at pH6.5 and at 55^C. The respective K_m values for p-nitrophenyl acetate and acetylxylan were 0.25mM and 1.05% (w/v) and the V_m values were 0.65 and 0.43mol acetate/min/mg protein.     

Pathogen profile update: Fusarium oxysporum

Taxonomy: Kingdom Fungi; Phylum Ascomycota; Class Sordariomycetes; Order Hypocreales; Family Nectriaceae; genus Fusarium .
Host range: Very broad at the species level. More than 120 different formae speciales have been identified based on specificity to host species belonging to a wide range of plant families.
Disease symptoms: Initial symptoms of vascular wilt include vein clearing and leaf epinasty, followed by stunting, yellowing of the lower leaves, progressive wilting, defoliation and, finally, death of the plant. On fungal colonization, the vascular tissue turns brown, which is clearly visible in cross-sections of the stem. Some formae speciales are not primarily vascular pathogens, but cause foot and root rot or bulb rot.
Economic importance: Can cause severe losses in many vegetables and flowers, field crops, such as cotton, and plantation crops, such as banana, date palm and oil palm.
Control: Use of resistant varieties is the only practical measure for controlling the disease in the field. In glasshouses, soil sterilization can be performed.
Useful websites: http://www.broad.mit.edu/annotation/genome/fusarium_group/MultiHome.html ; http://www.fgsc.net/Fusarium/fushome.htm ; http://www.phi-base.org/query.php     

Isoverrucarol production by Fusarium oxysporum CJS-12 isolated from corn

Isoverrucarol (3,15-dihydroxy-12,13-epoxy-trichothec-9-ene) was isolated and purified from wheat cultures of a toxic strain of Fusarium oxysporum CJS-12. The toxin was characterized by thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Isoverrucarol caused toxic effects in rats, including loss of appetite, bodily weakness, severe mucosae of the stomach, and death, when administered orally at 10 and 20 mg/kg of body weight. The toxin also caused a definite dermatitic reaction of epidermis and an edematic-necrotic response of the dermis.     

Fusarium oxysporum Forms Heterokaryons with Fusarium redolens

Vegetative compatibility among three isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lupini and two isolates of F. oxysporum var. redolens from diseased lupins was investigated. Pairings between five mutants originated from each isolate revealed two compatibility groups. The first VCG comprised race 1 of F. oxysporum f. sp. lupini and one isolate of F. oxysporum var. redolens; the second VCG comprised race 2 of F. oxysporum f. sp. lupini and two isolates of F. oxysporum var. redolens. Heterokaryon formation was observed in many pairings involving mutants of both taxa. These findings provide evidence of the conspecificity of these two taxa and they support Gordon 's classification (1952) according to which F. redolens is actually F. oxysporum.     

Mycotoxin production by Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium sporotrichioides isolated from Baccharis spp. from Brazil

Fusarium oxysporum isolated from roots of and soil around Baccharis species from Brazil produced the trichothecenes T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and 3'-OH T-2 (TC-1), whereas Fusarium sporotrichioides from the same source produced T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, acetyl T-2, neosolaniol, TC-1, 3'-OH HT-2 (TC-3), iso-T-2, T-2 triol, T-2 tetraol, and the nontrichothecenes moniliformin and fusarin C. Several unknown toxins were found but not identified. Not found were macrocyclic trichothecenes, zearalenone, wortmannin, and fusarochromanone (TDP-1).     

Isoverrucarol production by Fusarium oxysporum CJS-12 isolated from corn.

Isoverrucarol (3,15-dihydroxy-12,13-epoxy-trichothec-9-ene) was isolated and purified from wheat cultures of a toxic strain of Fusarium oxysporum CJS-12. The toxin was characterized by thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Isoverrucarol caused toxic effects in rats, including loss of appetite, bodily weakness, severe mucosae of the stomach, and death, when administered orally at 10 and 20 mg/kg of body weight. The toxin also caused a definite dermatitic reaction of epidermis and an edematic-necrotic response of the dermis.     

Mycotoxin production by Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium sporotrichioides isolated from Baccharis spp. from Brazil.

Fusarium oxysporum isolated from roots of and soil around Baccharis species from Brazil produced the trichothecenes T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and 3'-OH T-2 (TC-1), whereas Fusarium sporotrichioides from the same source produced T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, acetyl T-2, neosolaniol, TC-1, 3'-OH HT-2 (TC-3), iso-T-2, T-2 triol, T-2 tetraol, and the nontrichothecenes moniliformin and fusarin C. Several unknown toxins were found but not identified. Not found were macrocyclic trichothecenes, zearalenone, wortmannin, and fusarochromanone (TDP-1).     

Inoculum sources of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. asparagi in asparagus production

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. asparagi (Foa) incites crown and root rot of asparagus which causes early decline of asparagus plantings. The aim of the present study was to identify the main inoculum sources of the pathogen in the Netherlands. As has been reported for foreign seed lots, Dutch seed lots can be infested with Foa at low levels. We found that seed infestation occurs mainly during the seed harvesting process through infested soil adhering to fallen berries. Soil samples from 59 fields without a history of asparagus growing and differing in their distance from asparagus plantings were tested for infestation with Foa, using a bioassay with asparagus as a bait plant. A high correlation was found between the incidence of infestation and proximity to asparagus fields; Foa was found in 69% of the samples from fresh fields in an asparagus production centre, and in only 6% of the samples from fields at a distance of 1 km and more from asparagus fields and outside a production centre. To evaluate planting material as an inoculum source of Foa, 49 lots of one-year-old crowns from 23 nurseries were collected and rated for disease symptoms. Infestation was found to be common with only two lots free of symptomatic plants. Most of the lots had more than 75% of symptomatic plants. Although most of the plants were infested, they showed only slight root rot symptoms. The procedure for production of Foa-free planting material is discussed. Persistence and infestation of asparagus root residues in former asparagus fields was assessed by retrieving the residues from eight former asparagus fields with an asparagus-free period of one to 25 years, and three fields with a standing asparagus crop. Even after an asparagus-free period of 25 yr asparagus root residues were retrieved from soil, although at low levels. Mean population densities of Fusarium spp. declined from 2 times 10⁶ to 1 times 10⁵ colony forming units g^_1 air-dry root tissue during the first 10 years and were still > 10⁴ c.f.u. g“¹ air-dry root tissue 20 to 25 yr after asparagus produced was stopped. The population was dominated by F. oxysporum. Eighty-three of the 112 isolates (74%) of F. oxysporum belonged to the forma specialis asparagi. The proportion of Foa in the population did not decrease in time. It was concluded that persistence of Foa in asparagus root residues is a major reason for its long-term survival.     

Controlling simultaneous production of endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase by Fusarium oxysporum in submerged culture

Summary The simultaneous production of endoglucanase and -glucosidase by Fusarium oxysporum was investigated in submerged culture. Consecutive optimization of growth conditions resulted in the correction of large activity differences, observed during production of enzymes, and substantially enhanced low enzyme yields. At optimum growth conditions yields as high as 1650 and 232 U per g of carbon source of endoglucanase and -glucosidase were obtained respectively competing favourably with those reported for microorganisms grown on the same carbon source. The most important kinetic characteristics of the enzymes were the high temperature optima of endoglucanase (60°C) and -glucosidase (65°C) and the exceptionally high thermostability of endoglucanase. The latter enzyme retained 50% of the activity at pH 5.0 after approximately 6.5 h at 70°C     

Hydroxymethylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase in Fusarium oxysporum

Both growth and theanine accumulation in tea callus cultures were improved by the combination of 4 mg/liter benzyladenine and 2mg/liter indol-3-butyric acid, but were strongly inhibited by the addition of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. The optimum initial concentration of carbon source was 30g/liter sucrose. Upon the addition of more than 30 g/liter of sucrose, the callus fresh weight was increased, but the theanine formation was not improved.     

Fusaric acid and other metabolite production in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum

A thin layer chromatography system is described for the analysis of fusaric acid and other secondary metabolites, to assist in the identification of pathogenic races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum . There were differences in the metabolite profiles of the races grown on different media.     

Ethanol production from xylose by Fusarium oxysporum and the optimization of culture conditions

Bioethanol is the most commonly used renewable biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels. Many microbial strains can convert lignocellulosics into bioethanol. However, very few natural strains with a high capability of fermenting pentose sugars and simultaneously utilizing various sugars have been reported. In this study, fermentation of sugar by Fusarium oxysporum G was performed for the production of ethanol to improve the performance of the fermentation process. The influences of pH, substrate concentration, temperature, and rotation speed on ethanol fermentation are investigated. The three significant factors (pH, substrate concentration, and temperature) are further optimized by quadratic orthogonal rotation regression combination design and response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions are pH 4, 40?g/L of xylose, 32?°C, and 110?rpm obtained through single factor experiment design. Finally, it is found that the maximum ethanol production (10.0?g/L) can be achieved after 7 d of fermentation under conditions of pH 3.87, 45.2?g/L of xylose, and 30.4?°C. Glucose is utilized preferentially for the glucose–xylose mixture during the initial fermentation stage, but glucose and xylose are synchronously consumed without preference in the second period. These findings are significant for the potential industrial application of this strain for bioethanol production.     

Solid state fermentation of rice chaff for fibrinolytic enzyme production by Fusarium oxysporum

Rice chaff was used as the substrate for the production of fibrinolytic enzyme by Fusarium oxysporum in solid state fermentation. The optimized moisture content of the medium was 30 - 50% (v/w). An inoculum of 5 - 10% (v/v) and an average particle size of 400 μm for the substrate were optimum for productivity and enzyme activity of 80 IU per ml filtrate was achieved after 96 hours of fermentation. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Enhanced ethanol production from brewer's spent grain by a Fusarium oxysporum consolidated system

Background  

Brewer's spent grain (BG), a by-product of the brewing process, is attracting increasing scientific interest as a low-cost feedstock for many biotechnological applications. BG in the present study is evaluated as a substrate for lignocellulolytic enzyme production and for the production of ethanol by the mesophilic fungus Fusarium oxysporum under submerged conditions, implementing a consolidated bioconversion process. Fermentation experiments were performed with sugar mixtures simulating the carbohydrate content of BG in order to determine the utilization pattern that could be expected during the fermentation of the cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysate of BG. The sugar mixture fermentation study focused on the effect of the initial total sugar concentration and on the effect of the aeration rate on fermenting performance of F. oxysporum. The alkali pretreatment of BG and different aeration levels during the ethanol production stage were studied for the optimization of the ethanol production by F. oxysporum.     

The mitochondrial genome of Fusarium oxysporum

Physical and genetic maps have been constructed for mtDNA from strains of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum representing three pathogenically specialized forms. All three mtDNA maps are circular. Their sizes are 45 kb for F. oxysporum f.sp. raphani and 52 kb for both F. oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans and F. oxysporum f.sp. matthioli. The genetic loci for cytochrome b, the mitochondrial 25S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit II, have been identified and are similarly arranged on the three genomes.