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: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 ΔPcvelA 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 ΔPclaeA 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.
Project description:The multi-component global regulator Velvet complex has been identified as a key regulator of secondary metabolite production in Aspergillus and Penicillium species. Previous work indicated a massive impact of PcvelA and PclaeA deletions, two key components of the Velvet complex, on penicillin production in prolonged batch cultures of P. chrysogenum, as well as substantial changes in transcriptome. The present study investigates the impact of these mutations on product formation and genome-wide transcript profiles under glucose-limited, aerobic conditions, relevant for industrial production of ?-lactams. The gene-deletion cassette for PcvelA or PclaeA was integrated in a hdfA mutant of the penicillin high-producing strain P. chrysogenum DS17690. Predicted amino acid sequences of PcVelA and PcLaeA in this strain were identical to those in its ancestor Wisconsin54-1255. Controls were performed to rule out transformation-associated loss of penicillin-biosynthesis clusters which, in preliminary studies, led to a massive reduction of penicillin production in a PcvelA deletion mutant. The correct PcvelA and PclaeA deletion strains revealed a significant (up to 30 %) reduction of penicillin-G productivity relative to the reference strain, which is a much smaller reduction than previously reported for prolonged batch cultures of P. chrysogenum strains. Chemostat-based transcriptome analysis yielded only 23 genes with a consistent response in the PcvelA? and PclaeA? mutants when grown in the absence of the penicillin-G side-chain precursor phenylacetic acid. 11 of these genes belonged to two small gene clusters (with 5 and 6 genes, respectively), one of which contains a gene with high homology to an aristolochene synthase. These results provide a clear caveat that the impact of the Velvet complex on secondary metabolism in filamentous fungi may be strongly context dependent Previous studies on the impact of the Velvet complex in P. chrysogenum were performed in prolonged batch cultures. Time course analysis revealed that the impact of PcvelA and PclaeA mutations was most pronounced after prolonged incubation {Hoff, 2010 6 /id}, but the physiological status of these cultures was not precisely defined. Industrial production of ?-lactam antibiotics is performed in sugar-limited, aerobic fed-batch cultures {Menezes, 1994 76 /id}. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of the Velvet complex on physiology, penicilllin production and transcriptional regulation under industrially relevant conditions. To this end, we studied the impact of PcvelA and PclaeA deletions in aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures of the penicillin high-producing strain P. chrysogenum DS17690.
Project description:The multi-component global regulator Velvet complex has been identified as a key regulator of secondary metabolite production in Aspergillus and Penicillium species. Previous work indicated a massive impact of PcvelA and PclaeA deletions, two key components of the Velvet complex, on penicillin production in prolonged batch cultures of P. chrysogenum, as well as substantial changes in transcriptome. The present study investigates the impact of these mutations on product formation and genome-wide transcript profiles under glucose-limited, aerobic conditions, relevant for industrial production of β-lactams. The gene-deletion cassette for PcvelA or PclaeA was integrated in a hdfA mutant of the penicillin high-producing strain P. chrysogenum DS17690. Predicted amino acid sequences of PcVelA and PcLaeA in this strain were identical to those in its ancestor Wisconsin54-1255. Controls were performed to rule out transformation-associated loss of penicillin-biosynthesis clusters which, in preliminary studies, led to a massive reduction of penicillin production in a PcvelA deletion mutant. The correct PcvelA and PclaeA deletion strains revealed a significant (up to 30 %) reduction of penicillin-G productivity relative to the reference strain, which is a much smaller reduction than previously reported for prolonged batch cultures of P. chrysogenum strains. Chemostat-based transcriptome analysis yielded only 23 genes with a consistent response in the PcvelAΔ and PclaeAΔ mutants when grown in the absence of the penicillin-G side-chain precursor phenylacetic acid. 11 of these genes belonged to two small gene clusters (with 5 and 6 genes, respectively), one of which contains a gene with high homology to an aristolochene synthase. These results provide a clear caveat that the impact of the Velvet complex on secondary metabolism in filamentous fungi may be strongly context dependent
Project description:In filamentous fungi, secondary metabolism is often linked with developmental processes such as conidiation. In this study we analyzed the link between secondary metabolism and conidiation in the main industrial producer of the β-lactam antibiotic penicillin, the ascomycete Penicillium chrysogenum. Therefore, we generated mutants defective in two central regulators of conidiation, the transcription factors BrlA and StuA, respectively. Inactivation of both BrlA and StuA blocked conidiation and altered hyphal morphology during growth on solid media, as shown by light and scanning electron microscopy, but did not affect biomass production during liquid submerged growth. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling identified a complex StuA- and BrlA-dependent regulatory network, including genes previously shown to be involved in development and secondary metabolism. Remarkably, inactivation of StuA, but not BrlA, drastically down-regulated expression of the penicillin biosynthetic gene cluster during solid and liquid submerged growth. In agreement, penicillin V production was wild type-like in BrlA-deficient strains but 99 % decreased in StuA-deficient strains during liquid submerged growth as shown by HPLC analysis. Thus, among identified regulators of penicillin V production StuA has the most severe influence. Over-expression of StuA increased the transcript levels of BrlA and AbaA (another developmental regulator), de-repressed conidiation during liquid submerged growth, but did not affect penicillin V productivity. Taken together, these data demonstrate an intimate but not exclusive link between regulation of development and secondary metabolism in P. chrysogenum. Transcriptomes of PcbrlA- and PcstuA- deletion mutants were compared with expression data from recipient strain deltaPcku70 as a control Mycelia from the transformants and the reference strain were harvested at successive stages of development for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:Background: Microbial gene expression is to a large extend determined by environmental growth conditions. Differential gene expression analysis between two conditions has been frequently used to reveal regulatory networks and to assign physiological function to unknown genes. In nature, microorganisms cohabit however these interactions have been rarely studied and reproduced in laboratory set-up. Thus to quantitatively explore the genome-wide responses of microbial interaction, we co-cultivated Penicillium chrysogenum and Bacillus subtilis in chemostat culture. Results: Time course expression analysis of P. chrysogenum to co-cultivation with B. subtilis was carried out to understand the natural responses of P. chrysogenum to prokaryotes. Steady state chemostats of P. chrysogenum in non-B-lactam producing conditions was pulsed with B. subtilis and co-cultivation was followed for 72 hours. The dynamic physiological and transcriptional responses of P. chrysogenum in mixed culture were monitored. B. subtilis outcompeted growth of P. chrysogenum resulting in an increased B. subtilis biomass by more than three fold of its original size and a reduction in P. chrysogenum biomass to half of its original size after 72 h of mixed culture. Genes of the penicillin pathway, synthesis of the side-chain and precursors were overall unresponsive to the presence of B. subtilis. Moreover Penicillium polyketide synthase and nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes either remained silent or down-regulated, whereas genes responsible for protein synthesis, metabolism, energy conservation, respiration and transport were upregulated in the presence of B. subtilis. Among highly responsive genes, two putative B-1,3 endoglucanase (mutanase) genes viz Pc12g07500 and Pc12g13330 were upregulated by more than 15-fold and 8-fold respectively. Measurement of enzyme activity in the supernatant of mixed culture confirmed that the co-cultivation with B. subtilis induced mutanase production in P. chrysogenum. Mutanase activity was not observed in pure cultures of P. chrysogenum and B. subtilis or when P. chrysogenum was co-cultured with B. subtilis supernatant or heat inactivated B. subtilis cells. However, mutanase production was observed in cultures of P. chrysogenum pulsed with filter sterilized supernatants from mixed cultures P. chrysogenum and B. subtilis. Heterologous expression of Pc12g07500 and Pc12g13330 genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae confirmed that at least Pc12g07500 encoded an B-1,3 endoglucanase. Conclusion: Time course transcriptional profiling of P. chrysogenum revealed several differentially expressed genes during mixed culture, potentially reflecting interactions between the eukaryotic and the prokaryotic systems. -1,3 endoglucanase produced by P. chrysogenum against B. subtilis signals may have application in improving the efficacy of antibiotics by degrading exopolysacchride biofilms of pathogenic bacteria.