Gold and silver accumulation by Aspergillus niger from cyanide-containing solution obtained from the gold mining industry

An Aspergillus niger strain accumulated gold and silver from solution containing high cyanide concentrations. Our results show that A. niger is of potential use for the removal of metals and/or the recovery of valuable metals from cyanide-containing solutions.     

Aspergillus niger absorbs copper and zinc from swine wastewater

Wastewater from swine confined-housing operations contains elevated levels of copper and zinc due to their abundance in feed. These metals may accumulate to phytotoxic levels in some agricultural soils of North Carolina due to land application of treated swine effluent. We evaluated fungi for their ability to remove these metals from wastewater and found Aspergillus niger best suited for this purpose. A. niger was able to grow on plates amended with copper at a level five times that inhibitory to the growth of Saccharomyes cerevisiae. We also found evidence for internal absorption as the mechanism used by A. niger to detoxify its environment of copper, a property of the fungus that has not been previously exploited for metal bioremediation. In this report, we show that A. niger is capable of removing 91% of the copper and 70% of the zinc from treated swine effluent.     

Removal of heavy metals from contaminated sewage sludge using Aspergillus niger fermented raw liquid from pineapple wastes

The environmental benefits derived from using citric acid in the removal of heavy metals from contaminated sewage sludge have made it promising as an extracting agent in the chemical extraction process. At present, citric acid is produced commercially by fermentation of sucrose using mutant strains of Aspergillus niger (A. niger), and chemical synthesis. In recent years, various carbohydrates and wastes (such as pineapple wastes) have been considered experimentally, to produce citric acid by A. niger. This study investigated the potential of using A. niger fermented raw liquid from pineapple wastes as a source of citric acid, in extracting chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) from anaerobically digested sewage sludge. Results of the study revealed that metal removal efficiencies varied with pH, forms of metals in sludge and contact time. At pH approaching 4, and contact time of 11 days, A. niger fermented liquid seemed to remove all Cr and Zn while removing 94% of Ni. Moreover, chemical speciation studies revealed that metals which are predominantly in the exchangeable and oxidizable phases seemed to exhibit ease of leachability (e.g., Zn). The by-products of the process such as pineapple pulp and mycelium which are rich in protein, can still be used as animal feed. It can be said therefore that this novel process provides a sustainable way of managing contaminated sewage sludge.     

Heavy metals extraction from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash using adapted metal tolerant Aspergillus niger

This study focused on the adaptation of Aspergillus niger tolerating high concentration of heavy metals for bioleaching of fly ash. The Plackett-Burman design indicated that Al and Fe inhibited the growth of A. niger (AS 3.879 and AS 3.40) significantly. The single metal (Al and Fe) and multi-metals adapted AS 3.879 strain tolerated up to 3500 mg/L Al, 700 mg/L Fe, and 3208.1mg/L multi-metals, respectively. The order of metal extraction yield in two-step bioleaching of 60 and 70 g/L fly ash using Al adapted, multi-metals adapted and un-adapted AS 3.879 strains was as follows: multi-metals adapted>Al adapted>un-adapted. The multi-metals adapted strain grew with up to 70 g/L fly ash and secreted 256 mmol/L organic acids after 288 h, where 87.4% Cd, 64.8% Mn, 49.4% Zn and 45.9% Pb were dissolved. The extracted metals in TCLP test of the bioleached fly ash by multi-metals adapted strain were under the regulated levels in China.     

Microbial and plant derived biomass for removal of heavy metals from wastewater

Discharge of heavy metals from metal processing industries is known to have adverse effects on the environment. Conventional treatment technologies for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution are not economical and generate huge quantity of toxic chemical sludge. Biosorption of heavy metals by metabolically inactive non-living biomass of microbial or plant origin is an innovative and alternative technology for removal of these pollutants from aqueous solution. Due to unique chemical composition biomass sequesters metal ions by forming metal complexes from solution and obviates the necessity to maintain special growth-supporting conditions. Biomass of Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus nigricans, Ascophyllum nodosum, Sargassum natans, Chlorella fusca, Oscillatoria anguistissima, Bacillus firmus and Streptomyces sp. have highest metal adsorption capacities ranging from 5 to 641 mg g(-1) mainly for Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni. Biomass generated as a by-product of fermentative processes offers great potential for adopting an economical metal-recovery system. The purpose of this paper is to review the available information on various attributes of utilization of microbial and plant derived biomass and explores the possibility of exploiting them for heavy metal remediation.     

New metal-binding ethyldiamino- and dicarboxy-products from Aspergillus niger industrial wastes

The metal-binding ability of Aspergillus niger mycelial waste was improved by chemical modification. The latter was performed by introducing additional carboxy groups using oxidation methods or the introduction of the ethyldiamino group first by chlorination of A. niger using mesyl chloride and subsequent reaction of the product with ethylene diamine. Metal binding abilities of the products for Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were determined according to the Langmuir model, whereby pK _D ^* -values of 3.88 up to 5.02 were revealed. Maximum capacities for the metals were found to be in the range 172 to 1064 mmol/kg.     

Zn2+-induced cooperativity of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from Aspergillus parasiticus

Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.17) has been purified from Aspergillus parasiticus, a filamentous fungus which produces the polyketide mycotoxin, versicolorin A. Its kinetic properties have been compared with those of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from the related non-toxin-producing fungus, A. niger. Both enzymes are inhibited by divalent transition metals, especially Zn2+ and Cd2+, but only the enzyme from A. parasiticus exhibits inhibitor-induced cooperative binding of the substrate, fructose-6 phosphate. Double reciprocal plots (1/v versus 1/Fru-6-P) are linear in the absence of Zn2+ but in the presence of Zn2+ are concave upward, with Hill coefficients of 1.5. The extent of cooperativity is inversely related to ionic strength, disappearing at 100 mM KCl. The enzymes from both organisms are relatively stable to incubation at 30 degrees C, but only the enzyme from A. parasiticus is rendered thermally unstable by the addition of divalent transition metals. A model is proposed to explain how binding of transition metal ions affects substrate binding and thermal stability of the enzyme.     

黑曲霉（Aspergillus niger）启动子的克隆及其序列特征

应用启动子筛选载体（Ｐｒｏｍｏｔｅｒ－ｔｒａｐｖｅｃｔｏｒ）ＰＬＸ２Ａ构建了１个黑曲霉（Ａｓｐｅｒｇｉｌｌｕｓｎｉｇｅｒ）基因组文库,这个载体含有１个潮霉素Ｂ（Ｈｙ）磷酸转移酶编码基因（ｈｐｈ）它能以启动子活性选择ＤＮＡ片段,用这个基因组文库转化大肠杆菌,获得了８００００转化子菌落,其中９４％含有插入片段,用这个基因库的质粒ＤＮＡ转化黑曲霉,产生了５３个抗潮霉素Ｂ（Ｈｙ＾Ｒ）菌落,２１个转化子的Ｓ     

Bioleaching of copper from chalcopyrite ore by fungi

Microorganisms have been geologically active in mineral formation, mineral diagenesis and sedimentation via direct action of their enzymes or indirectly through chemical action of their metabolic products. This property of microorganisms is being harnessed during the recent years for extraction of metals from their ores, especially from low-grade ores. In the present study bioleaching of copper from its low-grade chalcopyrite ore using 26 isolates of acidophilic fungi is reported. Most of these fungal strains belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Rhizopus. The leaching experiments were conducted in Czepek Dox minimal medium containing 1% (100 mesh) ore with shaking at room temperature for 20 days. Out of these, 4 isolates exhibited significant bioleaching activities. Maximum leaching of copper (78 mg/L) was observed with Aspergillus flavus (DSF-8) and Aspergillus niger (DOF-1). Nutritional and environmental conditions for optimum bioleaching were standardized. Present study indicates the usefulness of acidophilic fungi in bioleaching of copper from its low-grade ores.     

Cloning,heterologous expression,and enzymatic characterization of a thermostable glucoamylase from Talaromyces emersonii

The gene encoding a thermostable glucoamylase from Talaromyces emersonii was cloned and, subsequently, heterologously expressed in Aspergillus niger. This glucoamylase gene encodes a 618 amino acid long protein with a calculated molecular weight of 62,827Da. T. emersonii glucoamylase fall into glucoside hydrolase family 15, showing approximately 60% sequence similarity to glucoamylase from A. niger. The expressed enzyme shows high specific activity towards maltose, isomaltose, and maltoheptaose, having 3-6-fold elevated k(cat) compared to A. niger glucoamylase. T. emersonii glucoamylase showed significantly improved thermostability with a half life of 48h at 65 degrees C in 30% (w/v) glucose, compared to 10h for glucoamylase from A. niger. The ability of the glucoamylase to hydrolyse amylopectin at 65 degrees C is improved compared to A. niger glucoamylase, giving a significant higher final glucose yield at elevated temperatures. The increased thermal stability is thus reflected in the industrial performance, allowing T. emersonii glucoamylase to operate at a temperature higher than the A. niger enzyme.     

The faeA genes from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus tubingensis encode ferulic acid esterases involved in degradation of complex cell wall polysaccharides.

We report the cloning and characterization of a gene encoding a ferulic acid esterase, faeA, from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus tubingensis. The A. niger and A. tubingensis genes have a high degree of sequence identity and contain one conserved intron. The gene product, FAEA, was overexpressed in wild-type A. tubingensis and a protease-deficient A. niger mutant. Overexpression of both genes in wild-type A. tubingensis and an A. niger protease-deficient mutant showed that the A. tubingensis gene product is more sensitive to degradation than the equivalent gene product from A. niger. FAEA from A. niger was identical to A. niger FAE-III (C. B. Faulds and G. Williamson, Microbiology 140:779-787, 1994), as assessed by molecular mass, pH and temperature optima, pI, N-terminal sequence, and activity on methyl ferulate. The faeA gene was induced by growth on wheat arabinoxylan and sugar beet pectin, and its gene product (FAEA) released ferulic acid from wheat arabinoxylan. The rate of release was enhanced by the presence of a xylanase. FAEA also hydrolyzed smaller amounts of ferulic acid from sugar beet pectin, but the rate was hardly affected by addition of an endo-pectin lyase.     

Characterization of a novel endopolygalacturonase from Aspergillus niger with unique kinetic properties

We isolated and characterized a new type of endopolygalacturonase (PG)-encoding gene, pgaD, from Aspergillus niger. The primary structure of PGD differs from that of other A. niger PGs by a 136 amino acid residues long N-terminal extension. Biochemical analysis demonstrated extreme processive behavior of the enzyme on oligomers longer than five galacturonate units. Furthermore, PGD is the only A. niger PG capable of hydrolyzing di-galacturonate. It is tentatively concluded that the enzyme is composed of four subsites. The physiological role of PGD is discussed.     

Element localisation and distribution in the fungi Aureobasidium pullulans and Aspergillus niger, measured using the Oxford scanning proton microprobe

The distribution and relative concentrations of essential elements were determined in germ tubes of Aureobasidium pullulans and hyphae of Aspergillus niger using the Oxford scanning proton microprobe. In both fungi, K, P and S were the major constituents, with Ca, Na and trace metals like Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn present at lower levels. In A. pullulans, elements were not distributed uniformly throughout the cells and, in general, the highest elemental concentrations occurred at the tip and in the older parts of the germ tube, particularly where there was yeast-like cell or branch development. In A. niger, elemental distribution was more uniform and there was a general gradient of increasing concentration away from the hyphal tip followed by a drop in levels in older regions. The scanning proton microprobe appears to have considerable potential for the investigation of fungal differentiation and morphogenesis.     

里氏木霉与黑曲霉混合发酵产纤维素酶及其水解特性

研究了利用里氏木霉和黑曲霉混合培养产纤维素酶,以黑曲霉孢子悬浮液的不同活化浓度及不同的活化时间来寻找2个菌种发挥最大协同作用的结合点以及所产纤维素酶的水解特性。以里氏木霉单一培养和黑曲霉单一培养为参照进行对比研究。底物为农林废弃物之一的玉米秸秆,经过蒸气爆破预处理后,用作产酶C源。结果表明:黑曲霉孢子悬浮液活化浓度为10个/mL,活化时间为12 h时,滤纸酶比酶活最高,达3.32 U/mL,高于里氏木霉单一培养的2.25 U/mL,β-葡萄糖苷酶比酶活达1.32 U/mL,高于里氏木霉单一培养的0.57 U/mL。为进一步验证混合菌产纤维素酶的水解效果,利用混合菌产纤维酶的酶液及里氏木霉产纤维素酶的酶液进行酶水解实验,当酶用量为20 U/g绝干纤维素,底物质量浓度为100 g/L条件下水解48 h,混合菌所产酶液酶解得率达70.00%,高于里氏木霉所产酶液的酶解得率63.05%。实验表明里氏木霉与黑曲霉混合培养产酶是可行的,并优于单一菌种培养。     

黑曲霉复合酶系组成的调节与控制

以产复合酶的黑曲霉紫外诱变株598为研究对象,通过改变发酵的营养或培养条件来调控其所产复合酶系的组成,以期制备出酶系组成不同的系列复合酶制剂,满足不同的应用所需。     

正红菇菌丝体凝集素的分离纯化及生化特性

正红菇菌丝体经磷酸缓冲液浸提、硫酸铵分级沉淀、DEAE-Sepharose FF离子交换层析和Sephadex G-100分子筛层析纯化得到红菇凝集素（Russula vinosa Lectin,RVL）。经SDS-PAGE检测为单一蛋白带,其亚基相对分子质量为55kDa,Sephadex G-100凝胶过滤测得相对分子质量为55.25kDa,提示RVL分子只有一个亚基。RVL中性糖含量为3.87%,经酸水解测定含15种氨基酸。温度在20–60℃、pH在5–9的范围内,凝集活性保持相对的稳定。RVL的凝血活性受Mn2+、Zn2+、Ca2+的影响。糖抑制实验表明,在供试的11种糖中,D-甘露糖强烈抑制RVL的凝血活性。抑菌实验显示,RVL对供试的细菌没有抑制作用,对稻瘟病菌、绿色木霉、红色链包霉、黑曲霉菌丝生长有显著的抑制作用。     

High-yield production of oxalic acid for metal leaching processes by Aspergillus niger

Abstract The complex-forming compound oxalic acid can effectively solubilise metals such as aluminium, iron, lithium, and manganese. In order to produce high amounts of oxalic acid for biohydrometallurgical processes, it was the aim of this work to optimise oxalic acid production by Aspergillus niger , a fungus well known for its ability to produce oxalic acid. A. niger excreted 427 mmol oxalic acid 1⁻¹ if it was cultivated in a pH-controlled (pH 6.0) fed-batch run in a 2-1 stirred tank reactor. Sucrose and lactose permeate were suitable carbon sources for oxalic acid production. In sucrose medium, A. niger produced high amounts of gluconic and oxalic acids, whereas in lactose permeate medium only oxalic acid was produced. Cultivation in green syrup and molasses media lead to high yields of biomass, but low oxalic acid production (<20 mmol 1⁻¹).     

Production of cellulases and hemicellulases by Aspergillus niger KK2 from lignocellulosic biomass

To investigate the production of cellulases and hemicellulases from Aspergillus niger KK2, solid state fermentation (SSF) was performed by using different ratios of rice straw and wheat bran. When A. niger KK2 was grown on rice straw alone as a solid support in SSF, the maximum FPase activity was 19.5 IU g(-1) in 4 days. Also, CMCase (129 IU g(-1)), beta-glucosidase (100 IU g(-1)), xylanase (5070 IU g(-1)) and beta-xylosidase (193 IU g(-1)) activities were concurrently obtained after 5-6 days of fermentation. The higher enzyme activities produced by A. niger KK2 is a significant advantage from the viewpoint of practical saccharification reaction. Cellulases and hemicellulases produced by A. niger KK2 might be applied to pulp and paper industry, feed industry and chemical industry.     

单宁酶基因在黑曲霉ST31中的克隆与表达

利用PCR扩增得到米曲霉(Aspergillusoryzae)单宁酶(tannase)基因的编码序列,经DNA测序证实单宁酶基因已成功克隆,然后将其连接到黑曲霉的表达载体ANED2-SP2上构建单宁酶基因表达载体。将构建好的单宁酶基因表达载体通过原生质转化法导入黑曲霉菌株ST31中进行表达研究。结果表明重组菌株的单宁酶活力最高为104.02U/ml发酵液,比原始出发菌株米曲霉提高2~3倍。研究构建了黑曲霉的高效转化体系,提高了黑曲霉表达系统的应用水平,为其它新酶的研究提供有价值的参考。