Project description:The recent discovery of a velvet complex containing several regulators of secondary metabolism in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans raises the question whether similar type complexes direct fungal development in genera other than Aspergillus. Penicillium chrysogenum is the industrial producer of the antibiotic penicillin, whose biosynthetic regulation is barely understood. Here we provide a functional analysis of two major homologues of the velvet complex in P. chrysogenum, that we have named PcvelA and PclaeA. Data from array analysis using a ?PcvelA deletion strain indicate a significant role of PcvelA on the expression of biosynthesis and developmental genes, including PclaeA. Northern hybridization and HPLC quantifications of penicillin titres clearly show that both PcvelA and PclaeA play a major role in penicillin biosynthesis. Both regulators are further involved in different and distinct developmental processes. While PcvelA deletion leads to light independent conidial formation, dichotomous branching of hyphae and pellet formation in shaking cultures, a ?PclaeA strain shows a severe impairment in conidiophore formation in both the light and dark. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays finally provide evidence for a velvet-like complex in Penicillium chrysogenum, with structurally conserved components that have distinct developmental roles, illustrating the functional plasticity of these regulators within filamentous ascomycetes. Transcriptomes of PcvelA- and PclaeA- deletion mutants were compared with expression data from recipient strain deltaPcku70 and reference strain P2niaD18 as a control
Project description:BackgroundPenicillium chrysogenum has been used in producing penicillin and derived β-lactam antibiotics for many years. Although the genome of the mutant strain P. chrysogenum Wisconsin 54-1255 has already been sequenced, the versatility and genetic diversity of this species still needs to be intensively studied. In this study, the genome of the wild-type P. chrysogenum strain KF-25, which has high activity against Ustilaginoidea virens, was sequenced and characterized.ResultsThe genome of KF-25 was about 29.9 Mb in size and contained 9,804 putative open reading frames (orfs). Thirteen genes were predicted to encode two-component system proteins, of which six were putatively involved in osmolarity adaption. There were 33 putative secondary metabolism pathways and numerous genes that were essential in metabolite biosynthesis. Several P. chrysogenum virus untranslated region sequences were found in the KF-25 genome, suggesting that there might be a relationship between the virus and P. chrysogenum in evolution. Comparative genome analysis showed that the genomes of KF-25 and Wisconsin 54-1255 were highly similar, except that KF-25 was 2.3 Mb smaller. Three hundred and fifty-five KF-25 specific genes were found and the biological functions of the proteins encoded by these genes were mainly unknown (232, representing 65%), except for some orfs encoding proteins with predicted functions in transport, metabolism, and signal transduction. Numerous KF-25-specific genes were found to be associated with the pathogenicity and virulence of the strains, which were identical to those of wild-type P. chrysogenum NRRL 1951.ConclusionGenome sequencing and comparative analysis are helpful in further understanding the biology, evolution, and environment adaption of P. chrysogenum, and provide a new tool for identifying further functional metabolites.
Project description:Industrial production of penicillin G by Penicillium chrysogenum requires medium supplementation with the side chain precursor phenylacetate. However, P.chrysogenum grown in presence of phenylalanine as sole nitrogen source formed detectable extracellular amounts of phenylacetate and penicillin G. To get more insights in the metabolism implicated, chemostat-cultivation in presence of 13C9-phenylalanine were carried out. Quantification and modeling of the labeled metabolite pools indicated that phenylalanine was i) incorporated in nascent protein, ii) transaminated to phenylpyruvate and further converted by oxidation or by decarboxylation and iii) oxidized into tyrosine and subsequently assimilated in the homogentisate pathway. Comparative transcriptome analysis of phenylalanine and (NH4)2SO4 grown P.chrysogenum cultures enabled to identify two putative 2-oxo acid decarboxylases Pc13g9300 and Pc18g01490. Both cDNAs were cloned and expressed in the decarboxylase-free Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK711-7C (pdc1delta, 5delta, 6delta, aro10delta, thi3delta) strain that has lost the ability to grow on glucose as sole carbon source or on phenylalanine as sole nitrogen source. Only Pc13g09300 was able to restore growth on glucose and on phenylalanine, demonstrating that this gene encodes a dual substrate pyruvate, phenylpyruvate decarboxylase. This newly identified thiamine-dependent 2-oxo acid decarboxylase provides clues to explain the formation of phenylacetate via an Ehrlich-like pathway in P.chrysogenum. Penicillium chrysogenum DS17690 was grown in aerobic glucose limited chemostat at 25oC, pH 6.5 and a dilution rate of 0.03h-1 with either amonia or phenylalanine