ABSTRACT: Overexpression of GaaR, a D-galacturonic acid responsive transcription factor, enables inducer-independent production of pectinases in Aspergillus niger
Project description:Aspergillus niger is a filamentous fungus well known for its ability to produce a wide variety of pectinolytic enzymes, which have many applications in the industry. The transcriptional activator GaaR is induced by 2-keto-3-deoxy-L-galactonate, a compound derived from D-galacturonic acid, and plays a major role in the regulation of pectinolytic genes. The requirement for inducer molecules can be a limiting factor for the production of enzymes. Therefore, the generation of chimeric transcription factors able to activate the expression of pectinolytic genes by using underutilized agricultural residues would be highly valuable for industrial applications. In this study, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate three chimeric GaaR::XlnR transcription factors by swapping the N-terminal region of the xylanolytic regulator XlnR to that of the GaaR in A. niger. As a test case, we constructed a PpgaX:hph reporter strain to evaluate the alteration of transcription factor specificity in the chimeric mutants. Additionally, we generated a constitutively active GaaR::XlnR V756F version of the most efficient chimeric transcription factor to better assess its activity. Our results showed that the chimeric GaaR::XlnR transcription factor was no longer induced in the presence of D-galacturonic acid, but in the presence of D-xylose instead. Moreover, proteomics analysis and saccharification assays confirmed the production of enzymes involved in the release of L-arabinose from pectin, while the constitutive version of this chimeric transcription factor showed consistently improved D-galacturonic acid release from pectin in a gaaR deletion background.
Project description:In Aspergillus niger, the enzymes encoded by gaaA, gaaB, gaaC and gaaD catabolize D-galacturonic acid (GA) consecutively into L-galactonate, 2-keto-3-deoxy-L-galactonate, pyruvate and L-glyceraldehyde, and glycerol. We show here that deletion of gaaB or gaaC results in severely impaired growth on GA and accumulation of pathway intermediates L-galactonate and 2-keto-3-deoxy-L-galactonate, respectively. Expression levels of several GA-induced genes were specifically elevated in the ∆gaaC mutant on GA as compared to the reference strain or other GA catabolic pathway deletion mutants. The hyper-induction of GA-induced genes in ∆gaaC indicates that 2-keto-3-deoxy-L-galactonate is the inducer of genes required for GA utilization.
Project description:We identified the D-galacturonic acid (GA) responsive transcriptional activator GaaR of the saprotrophic fungus Aspergillus niger, which was found to be essential for growth on GA and polygalacturonic acid (PGA). Growth of the ΔgaaR strain was reduced on complex pectins. Genome-wide expression analysis showed that GaaR is required for the expression of genes necessary to release GA from PGA and more complex pectins, to transport GA into the cell and to induce the GA-catabolic pathway. Residual growth of ΔgaaR on complex pectins is likely due to expression of pectinases acting on rhamnogalacturonan and subsequent metabolism of the monosaccharides other than GA.
Project description:The genes of the non-phosphorylative L-rhamnose catabolic pathway have been identified for several yeast species. In Pichia stipitis, all L-rhamnose pathway genes are organized in a cluster, which is conserved in Aspergillus niger, except for the lra-4 ortholog (lraD). The A. niger cluster also contains the gene encoding the L-rhamnose responsive transcription factor (RhaR) that has been shown to control the expression of genes involved in L-rhamnose release and catabolism. In this paper, we confirmed the function of the first three putative L-rhamnose utilisation genes from A. niger through gene deletion. We explored the identity of the inducer of the pathway regulator (RhaR) through expression analysis of the deletion mutants grown in transfer experiments to L-rhamnose and L-rhamnonate. Reduced expression of L-rhamnose-induced genes on L-rhamnose in lraA and lraB deletion strains, but not on L-rhamnonate (the product of LraB), demonstrate that the inducer of the pathway is of L-rhamnonate or a compound downstream of it. Reduced expression of these genes in the lraC deletion strain on L-rhamnonate show that it is in fact a downstream product of L-rhamnonate. This work showed that the inducer of RhaR is beyond L-rhamnonate dehydratase (LraC) and is likely to be the 2-keto-3-L-deoxyrhamnonate.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE37758: Aspergillus niger : Control (fructose) vs. steam-exploded sugarcane induction (SEB) GSE37760: Aspergillus niger : Control (fructose) vs. xylose + arabinose (XA) Refer to individual Series
Project description:Aspergillus niger produces a variety of lignocellulolytic enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, among others) and is regarded as cell factory for the production of heterologous proteins. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the study of its genes and the understanding of the cellular mechanisms in order to expand its applications. On the other hand, we have shown that enzyme production by A. niger is higher when grown forming biofilms than when grown conventionally in submerged systems. The objective of this study was to perform a global transcriptomic analysis and an expression analysis of both lignocellulases and biofilm regulatory genes as compared to A. niger in submerged culture. DNA microarray assays were performed to investigate the global gene expression which yielded information on the expression of more than 90% of A. niger genes. To further this comparison, the two culture systems were supplemented with different carbon sources (glucose, lactose, xylose and maltose) to establish a differential gene expression under different culture conditions. Also, to validate the differential expression qPCR was performed for quantitative comparison of the transcriptional level of genes in both culture systems. Organism : Aspergillus niger, Agilent Aspergillus niger Gene expression 4x44k Array AMADID: 032510 Grant Information: Grant Nº 072-FINCyT-PIN2008 from the National Program of Science and Technology of Peru Contributor: Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay
Project description:The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory role of Aspergillus niger AmyR and InuR during growth on inulin and sucrose
Project description:Expression data from batch cultivations of Aspergillus niger wild type strain ATCC 1015 and adrA, facB and creA deletion mutants constructed on ATCC 1015 background strain with glucose or glycerol as carbon sources. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis was used to identify genes either affected directly or indirectly by each transcription factor investigated during growth on a repressing or a derepressing carbon source. For this purpose, batch cultivations under well-controlled conditions were performed with Aspergillus niger wild type strain ATCC 1015 and the three deletion mutants of the corresponding transcription factors AdrA, FacB and CreA. Samples for RNA extraction were collected and further processed for hybridization in custom-designed Affymetrix microarrays containing probes for three Aspergillus species, including A. niger.
Project description:Using transcriptomics, the strain-specific metabolism was mapped for two whole-genome sequenced strains of Aspergillus niger Keywords: Strain comparison
Project description:Oxygen limitation is regarded as a useful strategy to improve enzyme production by mycelial fungus like Aspergillus niger. However, the intracellular metabolic response of A. niger to oxygen limitation is still obscure. To address this, the metabolism of A. niger was studied using multi-omics integrated analysis based on the latest GEMs (genome-scale metabolic model), including metabolomics, fluxomics and transcriptomics. Upon sharp reduction of the oxygen supply, A. niger metabolism shifted to higher redox level status, as well as lower energy supply, characterized by the accumulation of intermediates from the TCA cycle, down-regulation of genes for fatty acid synthesis and a rapid decrease of the specific growth rate. The gene expression of the glyoxylate bypass was activated, consistent with the increasing flux, which was assumed to reduce the NADH formation from TCA cycle and benefit maintenance of the cellular redox balance under hypoxic conditions. In addition, the relative fluxes of the EMP pathway were increased, which possibly relieved the energy demand for cell metabolism.