Aspergillus insulicola sp. nov.

A strain of Aspergillus sp. is described and proposed as a new species under the name ‘Aspergillus insulicola sp. nov.’ Montemayor & Santiago, 1973. This strain was isolated from soil samples taken in ‘Aves Island’ during a scientific expedition. — Aves Island, situated at 15°, 40′, 42″ N and 63°, 36′, 47″ W, about 665 Km of the coast of Venezuela, has very special ecological conditions. Due to its smallness: 550 m long and 40 to 120 m across and to its low profile only 3 m over sea level, it is swept by the sea during the periodical storms and hurricanes in the area. It has thus a very interesting fauna and flora. We took a series of soil samples to study its mycological flora. Forty samples were inoculated by dilution method. In this first paper a species is described and proposed as a new species because of its macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, as well as by its biological properties, under the name ‘Aspergillus insulicola sp. nov.’. In its study we have tried to follow as closely as possible the methods recommended by Kennet B. Raper & Dorothy Fenell, world authorities on the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. The strain is being kept in USB under the number T1, and has been sent to ATCC & CBSC to be incorporated in their collections.     

Aspergillus asperescens n. sp.

Summary A newAspergillus species,Aspergillus asperescens, is described. Three strains of this fungus have been isolated from soil and dung of bats in caves in Great-Britain and Poland. It is characterized by a yellow green colour, radiate conidial heads, two series of sterigmata, a brown conidiophore, hülle cells and subglobose conidia, which are smooth in young and rough in old cultures.     

Aspergillus helicothrix,sp. nov.

Aspergillus helicothrix sp. nov. is described. The species is based on a single-spore isolate obtained from the type culture of Aspergillus ellipticus Raper et Fennell. It is characterized by conspicuously echinate conidia and cup-shaped sclerotia with coiled setae.     

Conidial and mycelial-bound exo-pectinase of Aspergillus sp.

Abstract Intact conidia of Aspergillus sp. were able to degrade pectin 'in vitro' even when protein synthesis was inhibited, thus indicating the presence of cell bound pectinases. At least an exo-pectinase was found and this enzyme was also present in the mycelium of Aspergillus sp. Its presence was not dependent on the carbon source used for growth, suggesting its constitutive nature. This exo-pectinase could be released from conidia or mycelium by incubation at different pH values and the amount of enzyme released could be increased by treatments with chemical agents and hydrolytic enzymes.     

Aspergillus bertholletius sp. nov. from Brazil Nuts

During a study on the mycobiota of brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) in Brazil, a new Aspergillus species, A. bertholletius, was found, and is described here. A polyphasic approach was applied using morphological characters, extrolite data as well as partial β-tubulin, calmodulin and ITS sequences to characterize this taxon. A. bertholletius is represented by nineteen isolates from samples of brazil nuts at various stages of production and soil close to Bertholletia excelsa trees. The following extrolites were produced by this species: aflavinin, cyclopiazonic acid, kojic acid, tenuazonic acid and ustilaginoidin C. Phylogenetic analysis using partial β-tubulin and camodulin gene sequences showed that A. bertholletius represents a new phylogenetic clade in Aspergillus section Flavi. The type strain of A. bertholletius is CCT 7615 ( = ITAL 270/06 = IBT 29228).     

Pectin lyase from Aspergillus sp. CH-Y-1043

Aspergillus sp. CH-Y-1043 synthesizes pectin lyase when grown on citrus pectin at 37° C. Production is favoured by increased esterification degree of the pectin used as carbon source. This enzyme displays higher activity at pH values of 8.5–8.8 and temperatures of 40–45° C. The optimal substrate for the enzyme was highly esterified pectin and no enzymatic activity was registered on polygalacturonic acid. The activity is stimulated by, though not dependent on, divalent cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ba²⁺ and Co²⁺) and inhibited by Zn²⁺, and it is not sensitive to the addition of EDTA. The enzyme is very stable when exposed to pH variations: at 4° C it preserves more than 95% of its activity at pHs ranging from 2.0 to 10.0, and at 30° C stability is preserved at pHs ranging from 4.0 to 8.0. At a constant pH of 5.0, the enzyme conserves its stability at temperatures ranging from 4 to 50° C and at pH 8.0 sensitivity to temperature increased. The results on the endo-exo nature of the enzyme suggest that this is an exo-pectin lyase. Correspondence to: G. Aguilar     

植物细胞离析酶的制备和应用

用 Aspergillus sp．A-19菌经固体发酵研制成一种新的植物细胞离析酶(SeparatasezA—P)。其离析单细胞的酶活力平均为70 767u／g,有效作用的pH在3．0—7．0,温度为20—45℃。发酵培养基配方是麸皮：桔皮粉：(NH₄)₂SO₄(w／w)为100:100:O．63,料水比为1 :2．0,培养适宜条件为25℃、60小时。     

Aspergillus siamensis sp. nov. from soil in Thailand

A new species of Aspergillus section Fumigati, Aspergillus siamensis, isolated from coastal forest soil in Samaesarn island, Chonburi province, Eastern Thailand, is described and illustrated. This species is characterized by its broadly lenticular ascospores with two wide equatorial crests and finely spinulose and rugose convex surfaces and produced pale pinkish exudates after 14 d incubation on Czapek agar. The validation of this new species was supported further by analyses of the β-tubulin, calmodulin and actin gene sequences.     

一株产絮凝剂的曲霉菌株的筛选

从排污沟的废水污泥中筛选到1株产絮凝剂的霉菌GXF9912.该菌株的最佳产絮凝剂时间为培养后72h;培养基的初始pH为6.0～6.5时,产生的絮凝剂活性较高;Ca     

Biological Transformation of Blasticidin S by Aspergillus fumigatus sp.

A strain of Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from soil, transformed blasticidin S into four substances designated U1, U2, U3 and U4 respectively. U1 is less toxic and retains biological activities. Structural elucidation of these compounds comes to the conclusion that they differ from blasticidin S in pyrimidine base, e.g., uracil instead of cytosine nucleus. The structures of U2, U3 and U4 are elucidated.     

黑曲霉产木聚糖酶发酵条件的研究

正交设计试验结果表明,黑曲霉（Ａｓｐｅｒｇｉｌｌｕｓ ｎｉｇｅｒ ｍ１２）产木聚糖酶活力达７６．６０ｕ／ｍｌ,合适的产酶发酵条件如下,培养基（ｇ／Ｌ）：麸皮４０,尿素６．６７,ＫＨ２ＰＯ４ １．０,ＭｇＳＯ４．７Ｈ２Ｏ０．５,ＮａＣｌ０．３,Ｔｗｅｅｎ－８０ ３．０,ＣａＣＯ３ ２．０,２８℃,１２０ｒ／ｍｉｎ水浴振荡培养５．５ｄ。     

Strain improvement of Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. by induced mutation for biotransformation of alpha-pinene to verbenol

Variants of Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. obtained after treatment with colchicine, ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS), or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation indicated varying levels of significant increases in their efficiency to transform alpha-pinene to verbenol. In case of Aspergillus sp. the UV-induced variant was the best performer with a 15-fold increase in biotransformation efficiency compared to the wild type. In case of colchicine and EMS-induced variants the biotransformation increases were 2- and 8-fold, respectively. The UV-induced variant of Penicillium sp. was capable of eight fold increase in efficiency while the colchicine- and EMS-induced variants were 1.5- and 2-fold, respectively. The variants were characterised with respect to changes in colony morphology, spore dimension, DNA content, and products formed, viz. verbenol and verbenone.     

Aspergillus sp. EA-LJS80的分离及其发酵液提取物七叶皂苷C的生物活性

本研究从陕西留坝紫柏山采集的七叶树Aesculus chinensis根和茎中分离出一株具有高产七叶皂苷C的内生真菌,将其编号为EA-LJS80。利用ITS序列分析鉴定其种属并对其形态进行观察;采用紫外-可见分光光度计进行全波长扫描,确定其最大紫外吸收峰;采用HPLC测定七叶皂苷C的产量;采用滤纸片扩散法研究其发酵液提取物的抑菌活性;采用CCK-8法测定提纯后七叶皂苷对肺腺癌A₅₄₉细胞的增殖抑制率,探究其生物活性。结果显示,该菌株EA-LJS80为曲霉菌属Aspergillus真菌,最大紫外吸收波长为230nm,测得提纯后七叶皂苷C的产量为9.23mg/mL。生物活性实验表明：菌株EA-LJS80的发酵液提取物对大肠杆菌Escherichia coli等4种致病菌有明显的抑菌效果;经CCK-8法测定,提纯后的七叶皂苷对肺腺癌A₅₄₉细胞的增殖有明显的抑制作用。综上所述,菌株EA-LJS80具有产七叶皂苷活性,尤其是七叶皂苷C的产量较高,且其产生的七叶皂苷具有较高的生物活性,这对于改进七叶皂苷生产模式,提高生产效率具有重要意义,同时对于七叶皂苷C的进一步研究有一定的促进作用。     

Aspergillus jilinensis sp. nov. And its thermostable alkaline enzymes evaluation

Aspergillus comprises a diverse group of species, which have a ubiquitous distribution and occur on decaying vegetation, soil, and dust. During an investigation of the diversity of alkali-tolerant or alkalophilic fungi in China, two isolates producing columnar conidial heads with globose conidia belonging to Aspergillus were isolated from the soda soil and named as Aspergillus jilinensis. Its phylogenetic position was determined by analysis of a dataset of the combined gene fragments including the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region, beta-tubulin, and calmodulin genes. The morphology and culture characteristics of this fungus were described. Distinctions between the new species and its close relatives were discussed. Aspergillus jilinensis was phylogenetically clustered with A. alabamensis, but it differed from the latter by producing smaller and fewer conidia. Additionally, colonies of A. jilinensis presented light buff-colored on malt extract agar and bright golden yellow color on Czapek yeast autolysate. Meanwhile, the enzyme activity assays showed that α-amylase, endo-protease, and endo-β-1, 4-xylanase of A. jilinensis were thermostable in an alkaline reaction system, responding to alkali-tolerant characteristics, indicating a potential alkali-tolerant enzyme candidate. This study updates our knowledge of species diversity of alkali-tolerant Aspergillus.     

An inducible expression system for the production of human lactoferrin in Aspergillus nidulans.

The production and secretion of human lactoferrin (hLF) in Aspergillus nidulans is described. The hLF cDNA was expressed under the control of the strong ethanol-inducible alcohol dehydrogenase (alcA) promoter. Recombinant hLF (re-hLF) is produced at levels up to 5 micrograms/ml. Approximately 30% of the re-hLF produced in this system is secreted into the growth medium. The re-hLF is indistinguishable from native hLF with respect to size and immunoreactivity. Furthermore, re-hLF is functional by the criterion of iron-binding capacity. The A. nidulans expression system offers an inexpensive, convenient method for the controlled production of mg amounts of biologically active mammalian glycoproteins.