Efficient integrative transformation of Cephalosporium acremonium

High-Efficiency Electroporation for Genetic Improvement of Fungal Strains

Electroporation is a method for the introduction of molecules (usually nucleic acids) into a cell, consisting of submitting the cells to high-voltage and short electric pulses in the presence of the exogenous DNA/molecule. It is a versatile method, adaptable to different types of cells, from bacteria to cultured cells to higher eukaryotes, and thus has applications in many diverse fields, such as environmental biology, biotechnology, genetic engineering, and medicine. Electroporation has some advantages over other genetic transformation strategies, including the simplicity of the method, a wide range of adjustable parameters (possibility of optimization), high reproducibility and avoidance of the use of chemicals toxic to cells. Here we describe an optimized electroporation procedure for the industrially important fungus Acremonium chrysogenum, using germinated conidia and fragmented young mycelium. In both cases, the transformation efficiency was higher compared to the conventional polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation of protoplasts.

Study on genetic engineering of Acremonium chrysogenum, the cephalosporin C producer

Acremonium chrysogenum is an important filamentous fungus which produces cephalosporin C in industry. This review summarized the study on genetic engineering of Acremonium chrysogenum, including biosynthesis and regulation for fermentation of cephalosporin C, molecular techniques, molecular breeding and transcriptomics of Acremonium chrysogenum. We believe with all the techniques available and full genomic sequence, the industrial strain of Acremonium chrysogenum can be genetically modified to better serve the pharmaceutical industry.

Acthi, a thiazole biosynthesis enzyme, is essential for thiamine biosynthesis and CPC production in Acremonium chrysogenum

Background

The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is an important industrial fungus and is used in the production of the β-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C. Little is known regarding the molecular and biological mechanisms of how this industrial strain was improved by mutagenesis and molecular breeding. Comparative proteomics is one of the most powerful methods to evaluate the influence of gene expression on metabolite production.

Results

In this study, we used comparative proteomics to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of cephalosporin C between a high-producer (HY) strain and a wide-type (WT) strain. We found that the expression levels of thiamine biosynthesis-related enzymes, including the thiazole biosynthesis enzyme (Acthi), pyruvate oxidase, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent oxidoreductase and sulfur carrier protein-thiS, were up-regulated in the HY strain. An Acthi-silencing mutant of the WT strain grew poorly on chemically defined medium (MMC) in the absence of thiamine, and its growth was recovered on MMC medium supplemented with thiamine. The intracellular thiamine content was changed in the Acthi silencing or over-expression mutants. In addition, we demonstrated that the manipulation of the Acthi gene can affect the hyphal growth of Acremonium chrysogenum, the transcription levels of cephalosporin C biosynthetic genes, the quantification levels of precursor amino acids for cephalosporin C synthesis and the expression levels of thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes. Over-expression of Acthi can significantly increase the cephalosporin C yield in both the WT strain and the HY mutant strain.

Conclusions

Using comparative proteomics, four differently expressed proteins were exploited, whose functions may be involved in thiamine diphosphate metabolism. Among these proteins, the thiazole biosynthesis enzyme (ActhiS) may play an important role in cephalosporin C biosynthesis. Our studies suggested that Acthi might be involved in the transcriptional regulation of cephalosporin C biosynthesis. Therefore, the thiamine metabolic pathway could be a potential target for the molecular breeding of this cephalosporin C producer for industrial applications.

[Research progress on strain improvement of Acremonium chrysogenum by genetic engineering]

Acremonium chrysogenum, cephalosporin C (CPC) producing strain, is an important industrial microorganism. CPC is used to produce 7-ACA, a major intermediate for manufacturing of many first-line anti-infectious cephalosporin-antibiotics. The fermentation level of CPC determines the production, quality and cost of its downstream products. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the strains of A. chrysogenum. Along with the development of molecular biology, genetic manipulation technique is becoming more and more important in the field of molecular breeding. This paper reviews the latest research progresses on CPC biosynthesis and its regulation. Genetic manipulations of A. chrysogenum were summarized and concluded. We suggested that strain improvement of A. chrysogenum by means of induction and expression of biosynthetic and regulatory genes, as well as exogenous genes, and further optimization could be applied to different aspects including CPC production enhancement and metabolic pathway elongation, etc. Future direction of this field is also proposed. We believed that incorporation of comparative proteomics and genomic shuffling with molecular breeding could lead the achievements close to industry promptly.

The development of gene expression systems for filamentous fungi

Filamentous fungi have been used for decades in the commercial production of enzymes, antibiotics, and specialty chemicals. Traditionally, improving the yields of these products has involved either mutagenesis and screening or modification of fermentation conditions. Generally, selective breeding of strains has not been successful, because most of the commercially important fungal species lack a sexual cycle. For a few species, strain improvements have been made possible by employing the parasexual cycle for genetic crosses (30). The recent development of DNA-mediated transformation systems for several industrially important fungal species has spawned a flurry of research activity directed toward the development of gene expression systems for these microorganisms. This technology is now a viable means for novel and more directed approaches to improving existing fungal strains which produce enzymes or antibiotics. In addition, fungal expression systems are now being tested for the production of heterologous gene products such as mammalian pharmaceutical proteins. The goal of this review is to present a summary of the gene expression systems which have recently been developed for some filamentous fungi of commercial importance. To insure that the most recent developments are presented we have included data from not only scientific papers, but also from personal communications, abstracts, symposia, and our own laboratory.

Rock phosphate solubilization and colonization of maize rhizosphere by wild and genetically modified strains of Penicillium rugulosum

Maize root colonization and phosphate solubilizing activity of the fungus Penicillium rugulosum were assessed in a greenhouse trial using soil-plant microcosms. The bacterial gene hph conferring resistance to hygromicin B was introduced by electroporation in the wild-type strain IR-94MF1 of P. rugulosum and one transformant, w-T3, was selected. Maize plants were grown for 5 weeks in a P-poor soil and fertilized with a Florida apatite mineral, with Navay, an apatite rock deposit from Venezuela, or with simple superphosphate. Inoculation treatments included strain IR-94MF1, transformant w-T3 and two IR-94MF1 UV-induced mutants with enhanced (Mps++) or reduced (Mps-) in vitro mineral phosphate solubilizing activity. In the absence of P fertilization, inoculation with any P. rugulosum isolate significantly reduced the size of the total and P-solubilizing bacterial community present in maize rhizosphere. The bacterial community significantly increased in maize inoculated with IR-94MF1 and w-T3 when P was added as apatites Navay or Florida. All P. rugulosum strains were able to stimulate the growth of maize plants as indicated by 3.6 to 28.6% increases in dry matter yields. In the presence of rock phosphate, P uptake by maize plants inoculated with the two mutants Mps++ and Mps- was not always in agreement with their P-solubilizing phenotypes. Strain IR-94MF1 and transformant w-T3 increased P assimilation by the plants fertilized with Navay rock phosphate by 26 and 38%, respectively. In this treatment, w-T3 showed its highest significant maize rhizosphere colonization. With the simple superphosphate treatment, w-T3 increased P uptake in plants by 8% over the uninoculated control and also decreased significantly the community size of total bacteria, total fungi, and P-solubilizing fungi in the rhizosphere.

Integrative and replicative genetic transformation of Aureobasidium pullulans

A hybrid selectable marker for transformation was constructed by placing the promoter (TEF1p) from the gene encoding the Aureobasidium pullulans translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) adjacent to the 5' end of the Escherichia coli hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (HPT). Plasmids containing this hybrid gene (TEF1p/HPT) transformed A. pullulans strain R106 to a hygromycin B-resistant (HmBR) phenotype. A PCR-generated DNA fragment consisting of the TEF1p/HPT resistance marker flanked by 41bp of homologous DNA has also been shown to transform A. pullulans to HmBR. Linearized plasmid DNA consistently produced more transformants than circular plasmid DNA. Analyses of 23 HmBR transformants revealed integration of the plasmid in only eight of these transformants. In two transformants, integration into the largest chromosome (VIII) resulted in an alteration of the molecular karyotype. In four other transformants, integration occurred in chromosome VI (the chromosome containing TEF1) but only one was the result of homologous recombination with the genomic copy of the TEF1 promoter. The remainder of the transformants contained replicative plasmids that could be visualized on an agarose gel by ethidium bromide staining. These plasmids were generally 7-8kb in size. One transformant appeared to contain four plasmids ranging in size from 4 to 8kb, suggesting rearrangement of the transforming DNA. One plasmid obtained from a HmBR A. pullulans transformant was able to transform E. coli to ampicillin resistance. However, after recovery from E. coli, this plasmid (approximately 4kb) was unable to transform A. pullulans to HmBR.

Transformation of Sordaria macrospora to hygromycin B resistance: characterization of transformants by electrophoretic karyotyping and tetrad analysis

The ascomycete Sordaria macrospora was transformed using different plasmid molecules containing the bacterial hygromycin B resistance gene (hph) under the control of different expression signals. The highest transformation frequency was obtained with vector pMW1. On this plasmid molecule, expression of the hph gene is directed by the upstream region of the isopenicillin N synthetase gene (pcbC) from the deuteromycete Acremonium chrysogenum. Southern analysis suggests that the vector copies are integrated as tandem repeats into the S. macrospora chromosomes and that duplicated sequences are most probably not inactivated by methylation during meiosis. Furthermore, the hygromycin B resistance (hygR) is not correlated with the number of integrated vector molecules. Electrophoretic karyotyping was used to further characterize S. macrospora transformants. Five chromosomal bands were separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) representing seven chromosomes with a total genome size of 39.5Mb. Hybridization analysis revealed ectopic integration of vector DNA into different chromosomes. In a few transformants, major rearrangements were detected. Transformants were sexually propagated to analyze the fate of the heterologous vector DNA. Although the hygR phenotype is stably maintained during mitosis, about a third of all lines tested showed loss of the resistance marker gene after meiosis. However, as was concluded from electrophoretic karyotyping, the resistant spores showed a Mendelian segregation of the integrated vector molecules in at least three consecutive generations. Our data indicate that heterologous marker genes can be used for transformation tagging, or the molecular mapping of chromosomal loci in S. macrospora.

DNA-mediated transformation of a fungus employing a vector devoid of bacterial DNA sequences

Acremonium chrysogenum, a producer of cephalosporin C, was subjected to DNA-mediated transformations using a vector without bacterial DNA sequences. Recombinant fungal strains were generated with a gel-purified DNA fragment, carrying only the mutated beta-tubulin gene from A. chrysogenum. The lack of any bacterial DNA was verified by Southern hybridization analysis and polymerase chain reaction amplifications to detect even residual DNA sequences. This procedure can be referred to as a self-cloning experiment for which less restricted working regulations are needed. Finally, the transfer of a synthetic hirudin gene by cotransformation demonstrated that any DNA molecule can be introduced into the A. chrysogenum genome without bacterial marker genes. This seems to be highly relevant for biotechnical processes in which safe recombinant producer strains are required to satisfy governmental restrictions.

Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding translation elongation factor 1 alpha from Aureobasidium pullulans

The gene (TEF1) encoding translation elongation factor 1 alpha from the dimorphic fungus Aureobasidium pullulans (Ap) strain R106 has been cloned using Candida albicans TEF1 as a heterologous hybridization probe. Electrophoretic molecular karyotype/hybridization analysis of Ap revealed eight chromosomal bands and suggested that TEF1 resides on chromosome VI. Comparison of the genomic DNA sequence with the cDNA sequence of TEF1 verified the presence of three introns, the first one occurring five nucleotides from the start of translation. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence encoded a protein consisting of 459 aa (49,663 Da) possessing high identity to a variety of TEF1-encoded proteins. A strong codon bias, similar to that observed in highly expressed yeast genes, was evident in A. pullulans TEF1. The ApTEF1 promoter region showed some sequence similarity to the well-studied TEF1 promoter from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, including a region from -23 to -11. This region exhibited high homology to a promoter upstream activating sequence (UAS) in S. cerevisiae. Such sequences have been shown to be essential promoter elements in genes coding for the highly expressed components of the yeast translation apparatus.

The Thom Award address. Industrial mycology and the new genetics

The genetic investigation of fungi has been extended substantially by DNA-mediated transformation, providing a supplement to more conventional genetic approaches based upon sexual and parasexual processes. Initial transformation studies with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae provided the model for transformation systems in other fungi with regard to methodology, vector construction and selection strategies. There are, however, certain differences between S. cerevisiae and filamentous fungi with regard to type of genomic insertion and the availability of shuttle vectors. Single-site linked insertions are common in yeast due to the high level of homology required for recombination between vectored and genomic sequences, whereas mycelial fungi often show a high frequency of heterologous and unlinked insertions, often in the form of random and multiple-site integrations. While extrachromosomally-maintained or replicative vectors are readily available for use with yeasts, such vectors have been difficult to construct for use with filamentous fungi. The development of vectors for replicative transformation with these fungi awaits further study. It is proposed that replicative vectors may be inherently less efficient for use with mycelial fungi relative to yeasts, since the mycelium, as an extended and semicontinuous network of cells, may delimit an adequate diffusion of the vector carrying the selectable gene, thus leading to a high frequency of abortive or unstable transformants.

Molecular karyotype alterations induced by transformation in Aspergillus nidulans are mitotically stable

Clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF)-gel electrophoresis was used to define the electrophoretic molecular karyotype of Aspergillus nidulans strain OC-1 before and after protoplast-based genetic transformation. The transforming DNA caused alterations in the molecular karyotypes in all transformants examined. Rather dramatic changes were observed in karyotypes, including apparent chromosome loss, massive size alterations, and the appearance of large chromosomes. Changes in molecular karyotype were mitotically stable.

Improved expression of a hybrid Streptomyces clavuligerus cefE gene in Penicillium chrysogenum

A hybrid cefE gene, encoding penicillin N expandase, was constructed by fusing the promoter sequences, Pcp, and terminator sequences, Pct from the Penicillium chrysogenum pcbC gene to the open reading frame (orf), cefEorf, from the Streptomyces clavuligerus cefE gene. The resulting hybrid gene, Pcp/cefE'orf/Pct, differed from a previously reported hybrid cefE gene contained on plasmid pPS65. The latter gene, Pcp/cefE'orf/Sct, contained the Pcp sequences fused to the S. clavuligerus cefE orf still attached to the S. clavuligerus terminator sequences, Sct. The new hybrid gene was transformed into P. chrysogenum on plasmid vector pRH6. Transformants were selected by phleomycin resistance conferred by a hybrid ble gene present on plasmid pRH6. The hybrid ble gene was formed by attaching Pcp sequences to the ble orf. Among transformants obtained with pRH6, one exhibited a 70-fold higher level of activity of penicillin N expandase than the best transformant previously obtained from a 10-fold larger population of pPS65 transformants. The penicillin N expandase activity in pRH6 transformant, 9EN-5-1, was fourfold higher than the activity in the S. clavuligerus strain used as the source of the cefE orf and 75% of the activity observed in an industrial strain of Cephalosporium acremonium. Sequencing of the junctions of the heterologous DNA in Pcp/cefEorf/Pct uncovered a modification of the cefE open reading frame introduced during construction of the hybrid gene; the modified open reading frame is designated cefE'orf.

Development of an homologous transformation system for Acremonium chrysogenum based on the beta-tubulin gene

The beta-tubulin gene was isolated from the filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum using a heterologous gene probe to screen an A. chrysogenum lambda library. Sequencing of the A. chrysogenum gene revealed a mosaic gene which contains five exons and four intervening sequences. The exons encode for a polypeptide of 447 amino-acid residues which showed a high degree of similarity when compared with amino-acid sequences from beta-tubulins of other eukaryotes. The introns are characterized by typical consensus sequences found in intervening sequences from other filamentous fungi. In-vitro mutagenesis of codon 167 of the beta-tubulin gene resulted in the substitution of a phenylalanine by a tyrosine in the corresponding polypeptide sequence. The mutated gene was used successfully in the transformation and co-transformation of A. chrysogenum to benomyl resistance. The molecular analysis of transformants provided evidence that they contain the mutated beta-tubulin gene in addition to the wild-type gene, as was proved by Southern-hybridization analysis and direct sequencing of PCR amplification products.

Targeted integration into the Acremonium chrysogenum genome: disruption of the pcbC gene

The cephalosporin C-producing fungus Acremonium chrysogenum was transformed to hygromycin B resistance using different vector constructs. These constructs contain sequences of the pcbC gene from A. chrysogenum, encoding isopenicillin N synthetase. Detailed analysis of transformants, including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), suggests that integration of multiple vector copies takes place predominantly via non-homologous integration. By increasing the length of vector-DNA homologous to genomic DNA, integration occurs more frequently into chromosome VI, carrying the endogenous pcbC gene copy. In gene disruption experiments, the length of vector homology required to obtain cephalosporin C-minus transformants was investigated. Inactivation of the pcbC gene was observed only when homologous fragments of more than 3.0 kb were used on both sites of the resistance cassette. Southern analysis indicated homologous, as well as heterologous, integration of recombinant DNA. The integration of multiple vector copies leads to the appearance of truncated pcbC transcripts.

The production of cephalosporin C by Acremonium chrysogenum is improved by the intracellular expression of a bacterial hemoglobin

A DNA vector for expressing an oxygen-binding heme protein (Vitreoscilla hemoglobin, or VHb) in filamentous fungi was constructed and introduced into a cephalosporin C-producing strain of Acremonium chrysogenum. Expression of VHb in transformants was demonstrated by Western immunoblot analysis and by increased carbon monoxide binding activity of cell extracts. Several VHb-expressing transformants produced significantly higher yields of cephalosporin C than control strains in batch culture experiments. Using the same vector system, VHb was also expressed in the related fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.

Cloning, characterization, and use in strain improvement of the Cephalosporium acremonium gene cefG encoding acetyl transferase

A long open reading frame (ORF) closely linked to the Cephalosporium acremonium gene cefEF was identified by DNA sequencing. The cefEF gene encodes the enzyme involved in cephalosporin C (CPC) biosynthesis known as expandase/hydroxylase. Complementation of a C. acremonium cefG mutant, as well as expression of the gene in Aspergillus niger, showed this ORF to be the cefG gene, encoding cephalosporin C acetyltransferase, which catalyzes the last step in CPC biosynthesis. Analysis of transformants containing additional copies of this gene showed that a direct relationship exists between cefG copy number, cefG message levels, and CPC titers. This gene encodes an enzyme for what may be a rate-limiting step in CPC production.

Development of a transformation system for the thermophilic fungus Talaromyces sp. CL240 based on the use of phleomycin resistance as a dominant selectable marker

A transformation system for the thermophilic cellulolytic fungus Talaromyces sp. CL240 has been developed, using the phleomycin resistance gene from Streptoalloteichus hindustanus (Sh ble) as a dominant selectable marker. The plasmids (pAN8-1 and pUT720) carrying the Sh ble gene under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) promoter, allowed selection of phleomycin-resistant transformants. A new promoter sequence cloned from chromosomal DNA of Trichoderma reesei (pUT737) was also able to drive efficient expression of the Sh ble gene in Talaromyces sp. CL240, resulting in the selection of transformants that were highly resistant to phleomycin.

Cloning and disruption of the cefG gene encoding acetyl coenzyme A: deacetylcephalosporin C o-acetyltransferase from Acremonium chrysogenum

Acetyl CoA: deacetylcephalosporin C o-acetyltransferase(DCPC-ATF) catalyses the final step in the biosynthesis of cephalosporin C (CPC) in Acremonium chrysogenum. The gene encoding DCPC-ATF, cefG, has been isolated from an A. chrysogenum genomic library using a DCPC-ATF cDNA probe. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that cefG contains two short introns of 79bp and 65bp. The gene was found to be closely linked to the cefEF gene encoding deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase/deacetylcephalosporin C synthetase, which catalyses the preceding two steps in the pathway. The two genes are separated by a 1114 bp segment from which they are divergently transcribed. Introduction of the cloned cefG gene to A.chrysogenum resulted in an increased level of DCPC-ATF activity. A plasmid carrying a cefG gene interrupted in the coding region by a selectable marker for resistance to hygromycin B was constructed and used to disrupt the cefG locus in A.chrysogenum. The cefG-disrupted strains were found to lack the ability to produce CPC, and accumulated its precursor, deacetylcephalosporin C in the culture broth. Southern hybridization analysis confirmed that the disruption resulted from a gene replacement event at the cefG locus.

Analysis of promoter activity by transformation of Acremonium chrysogenum

Promoter activity was examined in the beta-lactam-producing fungus, Acremonium chrysogenum, by assessment of the properties of transformant isolates. Transformation was achieved using plasmid constructs specifying hygromycin B resistance (HyR) linked to the promoter elements of gpdA (the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-encoding gene of Aspergillus nidulans), and pcbC [the gene encoding the isopenicillin N synthetase (IPNS) enzyme of A. chrysogenum]. Transformation frequency, HyR levels, and Hy phosphotransferase (HPT) levels suggested that the transformants of constructs using the gpdA promoter showed a higher level of expression of the HyR gene than in transformants obtained using the pcbC promoter. The patterns of integration of the transforming DNA also differed in that pcbC promoter construct transformants appeared to have tandem repeats. All integrations of plasmid DNA occurred on a single chromosome which was different in four out of five transformants studied. Multiple copy transformants of constructs using the pcbC promoter did not show the regulated pattern of expression of HPT activity observed with IPNS in untransformed strains.

Surrogate transformation of perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne, using genetically modified Acremonium endophyte

Conditions have been developed for transforming protoplasts of the perennial ryegrass endophyte Acremonium strain 187BB. Unlike most other ryegrass endophytes, this strain does not produce the lolitrem B neurotoxin and is therefore suitable as a host for surrogate introduction of foreign genes into grasses. Transformation frequencies of 700-800 transformants/micrograms DNA were obtained for both linear and circular forms of pAN7-1, a hygromycin (hph) resistant plasmid. Up to 80% of the linear transformants were stable on further culturing but only 25% of the circular transformants retained hygromycin resistance. Integration of pAN7-1 into the genome was confirmed by Southern blotting and probing of genomic digests of transformant DNA. Both single and tandemly repeated copies of the plasmid were found in the genome and both the number and sites of integration varied among the transformants. At least 13 chromosomes were identified in 187BB using contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) gel electrophoresis. Probing of Southern blots of these gels confirmed that pAN7-1 had integrated into different chromosomes. The beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene, uidA, was also introduced into 187BB by co-transformation of pNOM-2 with pAN7-1. GUS activity was detected by growing the transformants on plates containing 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl beta-D-glucuronic acid and by enzyme assays of mycelial extracts. Several hph- and uidA-containing transformants were reintroduced into ryegrass seedlings and expression of GUS visualized in vivo, demonstrating that 187BB can be used as a surrogate host to introduce foreign genes into perennial ryegrass.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Genetic engineering of ß-lactam antibiotic biosynthetic pathways in filamentous fungi

Recombinant DNA technology has facilitated a rapid increase in our knowledge of beta-lactam antibiotic biosynthesis. Using the tools of this technology, beta-lactam biosynthetic genes and proteins have been characterized at the molecular level, cephalosporin-C production has been improved, new beta-lactams produced, and novel beta-lactam biosynthetic pathways have been constructed.

High efficiency transformation of Tolypocladium geodes conidiospores to phleomycin resistance

A convenient and efficient transformation system has been developed for the filamentous fungus Tolypocladium geodes. In contrast to most of the commonly described techniques requiring prior preparation of protoplasts or spheroplasts, this method leads to high efficiency transformation of T. geodes conidiospores following moderate lytic enzyme treatment. Competent cells so obtained are still resistant to osmotic pressure and can be stored frozen without loss of viability. The highest transformation frequency (3-5 x 10(3) transformants per microgram of DNA) was obtained with plasmid pUT737 containing the Sh ble gene conferring phleomycin resistance under the control of a strong promoter isolated from Trichoderma reesei. Southern hybridization revealed multiple integration sites of plasmid DNA into the T. geodes nuclear DNA despite the absence of homology between the transforming DNA and the recipient genome. Instability could not be detected for the phleomycin phenotype during more than five generations of mitotic growth under non-selective conditions.

Chromosome rearrangements in improved cephalosporin C-producing strains of Acremonium chrysogenum

A number of A. chrysogenum strains from a lineage improved in cephalosporin C production were analysed by contoured-clamped homogeneous electric field gel electrophoresis (CHEF). Although antibiotic titre was increased across the lineage, chromosome rearrangements were only observed at two points in it. In one member of the lineage the chromosomal changes included those which altered the size of the chromosome on which the isopenicillin N synthetase gene (pcbC) was located. It is proposed that chromosome changes are a chance event in an industrial strain improvement programme.

Polymorphic karyotypes in related Acremonium strains

A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed on six related Acremonium strains. With respect to the restriction fragment pattern, all strains of A. chrysogenum were indistinguishable from each other but showed distinctive differences from those of A. strictum, A. flavum and Cephalosporium polyvaleurum. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we obtained different chromosome patterns from most of the Acremonium strains. Remarkably, the pattern varies in three related A. chrysogenum strains which also differ in their rate of cephalosporin C biosynthesis. The electrophoretic karyotyping was confirmed by the location of rDNA genes on separate chromosomes. Our data indicate that chromosome translocations in industrial strains may be responsible for increased beta-lactam synthesis.

Construction of a 7-Aminocephalosporanic Acid (7ACA) Biosynthetic Operon and Direct Production of 7ACA in Acremonium Chrysogenum

We have used cDNA encoding D-amino acid oxidase, and genomic DNA encoding cephalosporin acylase from Fusarium solani and Pseudomonas diminuta, respectively, to construct a novel hybrid 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7ACA) biosynthetic operon under the control of regulatory elements from the alkaline protease gene of Acremonium chrysogenum. Transformants of A. chrysogenum BC2116, a high cephalosporin-producing strain, containing this operon, synthesized and secreted low levels of 7ACA. Although the amounts are not yet commercially significant, this represents the first microbial production of 7ACA and demonstrates the feasibility of introducing new biosynthetic capabilities into industrial microorganisms by combining fungal and bacterial genes.

Analysis of a high frequency transformation system for Ophiostoma ulmi, the causal agent of Dutch elm disease

A transformation system for Ophiostoma ulmi (Buism.) Nannf. was developed and analyzed. Protoplasts were generated from actively budding yeastlike cells by digestion with NovoZym 234 in MgSO4 after pretreatment with 2-mercaptoethanol. Protoplast regeneration was most efficient when 0.6 M sucrose was used as the osmoticum. Several plasmids containing fusions between fungal promoters and a bacterial gene for hygromycin phosphotransferase successfully transformed O. ulmi to hygromycin resistance. One of these vectors, pPS57, which contains a promoter for isopenicillin N synthetase from Penicillium chrysogenum, consistently conferred the greatest resistance to hygromycin. Linearization of the vector and inclusion of 2-mercaptoethanol in the transformation reaction resulted in enhanced transformation efficiency. Approximately 4 x 10(3) transformants/micrograms DNA per 10(7) protoplasts were obtained using the optimized procedure. Southern hybridization after alternating field and standard electrophoresis suggested random insertion of tandem repeats (some greater than 250 kb) into the fungal chromosomes. Antibiotic resistance was stable through mitosis. However, expression of the transforming DNA after meiosis was highly variable.

Gene disruption of the pcbAB gene encoding ACV synthetase in Cephalosporium acremonium

Plasmid pPS96 was used to disrupt the genomic region immediately upstream of pcbC in C. acremonium by homologous integration. Approximately 4% of the C. acremonium transformants obtained with pPS96 were unable to produce beta-lactam antibiotics. All transformants obtained with other plasmids and isolates which had not been exposed to transforming DNA retained the ability to produce beta-lactams. Enzyme analysis showed that ACV synthetase activity was missing in the beta-lactam-minus pPS96 transformants. Southern copies of pPS96 in all beta-lactam-minus transformants analyzed. However, predictable alterations of the targeted region were not detected. Transformation of antibiotic-minus transformants with plasmid pZAZ4, carrying a wild-type copy of the region targeted for disruption, resulted in restoration of the ability to produce beta-lactams in greater than 80% of the transformants recovered. Location of the pcbAB gene upstream from pcbC was confirmed by comparing the amino acid sequence of internal peptides from purified ACV synthetase with that deduced from the DNA sequence of the region targeted for disruption. The direction of transcription of the pcbAB gene is opposite that of the pcbC gene. Further analysis of amino acid sequence data from ACV synthetase revealed regions of strong similarity with the peptide synthetases responsible for production of tyrocidine and gramicidin S in Bacillus brevis.

Homologous transformation of Cephalosporium acremonium with the nitrate reductase-encoding gene (niaD)

We report the development of a homologous transformation system for Cephalosporium acremonium using the niaD gene of the nitrate assimilation (NA) pathway. Mutants in the NA pathway were selected on the basis of chlorate resistance by conventional means. Screening procedures were developed to differentiate between nitrate reductase apoprotein structural gene mutants (niaD) and molybdenum cofactor gene mutants (cnx) as wt C. acremonium, unlike most filamentous fungi, fails to grow on minimal medium with hypoxanthine as a sole source of nitrogen. Phage clones carrying the niaD gene were isolated from a C. acremonium library constructed in lambda EMBL3 using the A. nidulans niaD gene as a heterologous probe. An 8.6-kb EcoRI fragment was subcloned into pUC18, and designated pSTA700. pSTA700 was able to transform stable niaD mutants to NA at a frequency of up to 40 transformants per microgram DNA. Transformants were easily visible since the background growth was low and no abortives were observed. Gene replacements, single copy homologous integration and complex multiple integrations were observed. The niaD system was used to introduce unselected markers for hygromycin B resistance and benomyl resistance into C. acremonium by cotransformation.

Cloning of the pyr4 gene encoding orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase in Cephalosporium acremonium

We have cloned the Cephalosporium acremonium pyr4 gene by cross-hybridization with the equivalent gene from Neurospora crassa, the closest relative from which this gene is available. The C. acremonium pyr4 gene complements an E. coli pyrF mutant lacking orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase (OMPdecase), and most probably does not contain introns. Maxicell analysis in E. coli shows that it encodes a 46 kDa polypeptide. The C. acremonium OMPdecase contains a highly conserved pentadecapeptide characteristic for this category of enzyme. Extensive sequence comparison suggests an important role of this region in enzymatic activity.

Cloning and expression of a hybrid Streptomyces clavuligerus cefE gene in Penicillium chrysogenum

A hybrid cefE gene was constructed by juxtaposing promoter sequences from the Penicillium chrysogenum pcbC gene to the open reading frame of the Streptomyces clavuligerus cefE gene. In S. clavuligerus the cefE gene codes for the enzyme penicillin N expandase [also known as deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase (DAOCS)]. To insert the hybrid cefE gene into P. chrysogenum the vector pPS65 was constructed; pPS65 contains the hybrid cefE gene and the Aspergillus nidulans amdS gene. The amdS gene encodes acetamidase and provides for dominant selection in P. chrysogenum. Protoplasts of P. chrysogenum were transformed with pPS65 and selected for the ability to grow on acetamide medium. Extracts of cells cultivated in penicillin production medium were analyzed for penicillin N expandase activity. Penicillin N expandase activity was detected in approximately one-third of the transformants tested. Transformants WG9-69C-01 and WG9-61L-03 had the highest specific activities of penicillin N expandase: 4.3% and 10.3%, respectively, relative to the amount of penicillin N expandase in S. clavuligerus. Untransformed P. chrysogenum exhibited no penicillin N expandase activity. Analysis of the penicillin V titer revealed that WG9-61L-03 produced titers equal to that of the recipient strain while the amount of penicillin V produced in WG9-69C-01 was reduced by five fold.