Polyamines Upregulate Cephalosporin C Production and Expression of β-Lactam Biosynthetic Genes in High-Yielding Acremonium chrysogenum Strain

The high-yielding production of pharmaceutically significant secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi is obtained by random mutagenesis; such changes may be associated with shifts in the metabolism of polyamines. We have previously shown that, in the Acremonium chrysogenum cephalosporin C high-yielding strain (HY), the content of endogenous polyamines increased by four- to five-fold. Other studies have shown that the addition of exogenous polyamines can increase the production of target secondary metabolites in highly active fungal producers, in particular, increase the biosynthesis of β-lactams in the Penicillium chrysogenum Wis 54-1255 strain, an improved producer of penicillin G. In the current study, we demonstrate that the introduction of exogenous polyamines, such as spermidine or 1,3-diaminopropane, to A. chrysogenum wild-type (WT) and HY strains, leads to an increase in colony germination and morphological changes in a complete agar medium. The addition of 5 mM polyamines during fermentation increases the production of cephalosporin C in the A. chrysogenum HY strain by 15-20% and upregulates genes belonging to the beta-lactam biosynthetic cluster. The data obtained indicate the intersection of the metabolisms of polyamines and beta-lactams in A. chrysogenum and are important for the construction of improved producers of secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi.

The critical role of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity in cephalosporin C biosynthesis of Acremonium chrysogenum

The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is the main industrial producer of cephalosporin C (CPC), one of the major precursors for manufacturing of cephalosporin antibiotics. The plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase (PMA) plays a key role in numerous fungal physiological processes. Previously we observed a decrease of PMA activity in A. chrysogenum overproducing strain RNCM 408D (HY) as compared to the level the wild-type strain A. chrysogenum ATCC 11550. Here we report the relationship between PMA activity and CPC biosynthesis in A. chrysogenum strains. The elevation of PMA activity in HY strain through overexpression of PMA1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, under the control of the constitutive gpdA promoter from Aspergillus nidulans, results in a 1.2 to 10-fold decrease in CPC production, shift in beta-lactam intermediates content, and is accompanied by the decrease in cef genes expression in the fermentation process; the characteristic colony morphology on agar media is also changed. The level of PMA activity in A. chrysogenum HY OE::PMA1 strains has been increased by 50–100%, up to the level observed in WT strain, and was interrelated with ATP consumption; the more PMA activity is elevated, the more ATP level is depleted. The reduced PMA activity in A. chrysogenum HY strain may be one of the selected events during classical strain improvement, aimed at elevating the ATP content available for CPC production.

A Myb transcription factor represses conidiation and cephalosporin C production in Acremonium chrysogenum

Acremonium chrysogenum is the industrial producer of cephalosporin C (CPC). We isolated a mutant (AC554) from a T-DNA inserted mutant library of A. chrysogenum. AC554 exhibited a reduced conidiation and lack of CPC production. In consistent with it, the transcription of cephalosporin biosynthetic genes pcbC and cefEF was significantly decreased in AC554. Thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction (TAIL-PCR) was performed and sequence analysis indicated that a T-DNA was inserted upstream of an open reading frame (ORF) which was designated AcmybA. On the basis of sequence analysis, AcmybA encodes a Myb domain containing transcriptional factor. Observation of red fluorescent protein (RFP) tagged AcMybA showed that AcMybA is naturally located in the nucleus of A. chrysogenum. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated that the AcmybA transcription was increased in AC554. In contrast, the AcmybA deleted mutant (ΔAcmybA) overproduced conidia and CPC. To screen the targets of AcmybA, we sequenced and compared the transcriptome of ΔAcmybA, AC554 and the wild-type strain at different developmental stages. Twelve differentially expressed regulatory genes were identified. Taken together, our results indicate that AcMybA negatively regulates conidiation and CPC production in A. chrysogenum.

Roles of 2-oxoglutarate oxygenases and isopenicillin N synthase in β-lactam biosynthesis

Covering: up to 2017 2-Oxoglutarate (2OG) dependent oxygenases and the homologous oxidase isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) play crucial roles in the biosynthesis of β-lactam ring containing natural products. IPNS catalyses formation of the bicyclic penicillin nucleus from a tripeptide. 2OG oxygenases catalyse reactions that diversify the chemistry of β-lactams formed by both IPNS and non-oxidative enzymes. Reactions catalysed by the 2OG oxygenases of β-lactam biosynthesis not only involve their typical hydroxylation reactions, but also desaturation, epimerisation, rearrangement, and ring-forming reactions. Some of the enzymes involved in β-lactam biosynthesis exhibit remarkable substrate and product selectivities. We review the roles of 2OG oxygenases and IPNS in β-lactam biosynthesis, highlighting opportunities for application of knowledge of their roles, structures, and mechanisms.

Terminally Truncated Isopenicillin N Synthase Generates a Dithioester Product: Evidence for a Thioaldehyde Intermediate during Catalysis and a New Mode of Reaction for Non-Heme Iron Oxidases

Isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) catalyses the four-electron oxidation of a tripeptide, l-δ-(α-aminoadipoyl)-l-cysteinyl-d-valine (ACV), to give isopenicillin N (IPN), the first-formed β-lactam in penicillin and cephalosporin biosynthesis. IPNS catalysis is dependent upon an iron(II) cofactor and oxygen as a co-substrate. In the absence of substrate, the carbonyl oxygen of the side-chain amide of the penultimate residue, Gln330, co-ordinates to the active-site metal iron. Substrate binding ablates the interaction between Gln330 and the metal, triggering rearrangement of seven C-terminal residues, which move to take up a conformation that extends the final α-helix and encloses ACV in the active site. Mutagenesis studies are reported, which probe the role of the C-terminal and other aspects of the substrate binding pocket in IPNS. The hydrophobic nature of amino acid side-chains around the ACV binding pocket is important in catalysis. Deletion of seven C-terminal residues exposes the active site and leads to formation of a new type of thiol oxidation product. The isolated product is shown by LC-MS and NMR analyses to be the ene-thiol tautomer of a dithioester, made up from two molecules of ACV linked between the thiol sulfur of one tripeptide and the oxidised cysteinyl β-carbon of the other. A mechanism for its formation is proposed, supported by an X-ray crystal structure, which shows the substrate ACV bound at the active site, its cysteinyl β-carbon exposed to attack by a second molecule of substrate, adjacent. Formation of this product constitutes a new mode of reaction for IPNS and non-heme iron oxidases in general.

[Advances in the regulation of cephalosporin C biosynthesis - A review]

The beta-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C is produced industrially by Acremonium chrysogenum. Its derivative 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is the intermediate of most chemical modification cephalosporins that are the most frequently used antibiotics for the therapy of infectious diseases. Due to its importance, the biosynthetic pathway of cephalosporin C has been elucidated in Acremonium chrysogenum. To improve the yield of cephalosporin C and reduce the cost of production, recent studies have been focused on the sophisticated regulation of cephalosporin C biosynthesis. In this review, recent advances in cephalosporin C biosynthesis and regulation are summarized.

Comparative expression profiling of genes involved in primary metabolism in high-yield and wild-type strains of Acremonium chrysogenum

Cephalosporin C (CPC) productivity of Acremonium chrysogenum has been improved significantly through classical strain improvement programs. Here, we used transcription and metabolite profiling to address mechanisms underlying CPC production in a high yield (HY) strain. Transcription and metabolite profiling indicated that enzymes involved in amino acid production are higher in abundance in the HY strain. Moreover, results indicate a higher flow of precursors from the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways to serine synthesis at the late stage of fermentation in the HY strain. In addition, less pyruvate would enter the TCA cycle thus favoring valine synthesis. Amino acid production would also benefit from a more active pentose phosphate pathway and γ-amino butyric acid shunt both generating NADPH. Moreover the glyoxylate pathway seems to be more active in the HY strain. These results may provide new leads for CPC strain improvement in industry.

[Enzymatic Synthesis of Acidic β-Lactams (Review)]

The currently known methods of enzymatic β-lactam synthesis, as well as the enzymes and heterogeneous biocatalysts used for this purpose, are presented, and the published reports on advances in the field of enzymatic synthesis of selected antibiotics belonging to the groups of acidic penicillins and acidic cephalosporins are summarized in the present review. The key conditions and parameters of biocatalytic processes, such as the biocatalyst form, concentration of the precursor compounds, solvent type, pH, temperature, etc. are analyzed and compared, and guidelines for further optimization of β-lactam synthesis are given. The present review may be of use for a wide range of readers, as well as to enzymology and biotechnology experts.

[Optimization of whole-cell biocatalysis for phenylacetyl- 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid production]

Cephalosporins are widely used antibiotics owing to their broad activity spectra and low toxicity. Many of these medically important compounds are made chemically from 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid. At present, this intermediate is made by synthetic ring-expansion of the inexpensive penicillin G to form G-7-ADCA, followed by enzymatic removal of the side chain to obtain 7-ADCA. The chemical synthetic process is expensive, complicated and environmentally unfriendly. Environmentally compatible enzymatic process is favorable compared with chemical synthesis. In our previous research, metabolic engineered Escherichia coli strain (H7/PG15) was constructed and used as whole-cell biocatalyst for the production of G-7-ADC with penicillin G as substrate. The whole-cell biocatalysis was studied by single factor experiment, including the composition of substrates and the conversion conditions (OD600, pH, concentration of penicillin G, MOPS, glucose, time and FeSO4). After optimization, 15 mmol/L of G-7-ADCA was obtained. The process is convenient, efficient and economic. This work would facilitate the industrial manufacturing and further product research.

Process design and evaluation of production of bioethanol and β-lactam antibiotic from lignocellulosic biomass

To design biorefinery processes producing bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass with dilute acid pretreatment, biorefinery processes were simulated using the SuperPro Designer program. To improve the efficiency of biomass use and the economics of biorefinery, additional pretreatment processes were designed and evaluated, in which a combined process of dilute acid and aqueous ammonia pretreatments, and a process of waste media containing xylose were used, for the production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. Finally, the productivity and economics of the designed processes were compared.

De novo comparative transcriptome analysis of Acremonium chrysogenum: high-yield and wild-type strains of cephalosporin C producer

β-lactam antibiotics are widely used in clinic. Filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is an important industrial fungus for the production of CPC, one of the major precursors of β-lactam antibiotics. Although its fermentation yield has been bred significantly over the past decades, little is known regarding molecular changes between the industrial strain and the wild type strain. This limits the possibility to improve CPC production further by molecular breeding. Comparative transcriptome is a powerful tool to understand the molecular mechanisms of CPC industrial high yield producer compared to wild type. A total of 57 million clean sequencing reads with an average length of 100 bp were generated from Illumina sequencing platform. 22,878 sequences were assembled. Among the assembled unigenes, 9502 were annotated and 1989 annotated sequences were assigned to 121 pathways by searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) database. Furthermore, we compared the transcriptome differences between a high-yield and a wild-type strain during fermentation. A total of 4329 unigenes with significantly different transcription level were identified, among which 1737 were up-regulated and 2592 were down-regulated. 24 pathways were subsequently determined which involve glycerolipid metabolism, galactose metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. We also examined the transcription levels of 18 identified genes, including 11 up-regulated genes and 7 down-regulated genes using reverse transcription quantitative -PCR (RT-qPCR). The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with the Illumina sequencing. In this study, the Illumina sequencing provides the most comprehensive sequences for gene expression profile of Acremonium chrysogenum and allows de novo transcriptome assembly while lacking genome information. Comparative analysis of RNA-seq data reveals the complexity of the transcriptome in the fermentation of different yield strains. This is an important public information platform which could be used to accelerate the research to improve CPC production in Acremonium chrysogenum.

Modulation of the microenvironment surrounding the active site of penicillin G acylase immobilized on acrylic carriers improves the enzymatic synthesis of cephalosporins

The catalytic properties of penicillin G acylase (PGA) from Escherichia coli in kinetically controlled synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics are negatively affected upon immobilization on hydrophobic acrylic carriers. Two strategies have been here pursued to improve the synthetic performance of PGA immobilized on epoxy-activated acrylic carriers. First, an aldehyde-based spacer was inserted on the carrier surface by glutaraldehyde activation (immobilization yield = 50%). The resulting 3-fold higher synthesis/hydrolysis ratio (vs/vh₁ = 9.7 ± 0.7 and 10.9 ± 0.7 for Eupergit^® C and Sepabeads^® EC-EP, respectively) with respect to the unmodified support (vs/vh₁ = 3.3 ± 0.4) was ascribed to a facilitated diffusion of substrates and products as a result of the increased distance between the enzyme and the carrier surface. A second series of catalysts was prepared by direct immobilization of PGA on epoxy-activated acrylic carriers (Eupergit^® C), followed by quenching of oxiranes not involved in the binding with the protein with different nucleophiles (amino acids, amines, amino alcohols, thiols and amino thiols). In most cases, this derivatization increased the synthesis/hydrolysis ratio with respect to the non derivatized carrier. Particularly, post-immobilization treatment with cysteine resulted in about 2.5-fold higher vs/vh₁ compared to the untreated biocatalyst, although the immobilization yield decreased from 70% (untreated Eupergit^® C) to 20%. Glutaraldehyde- and cysteine-treated Eupergit^® C catalyzed the synthesis of cefazolin in 88% (±0.9) and 87% (±1.6) conversion, respectively, whereas untreated Eupergit^® C afforded this antibiotic in 79% (±1.2) conversion.

[Chromosomal polymorphism of Acremonium chrysogenum strains producing cephalosporin C]

Using pulse electrophoresis in controlled homogenous electric field we conducted molecular karyotyping of highly-productive and laboratory strains of Acremonium chrysogenum generating antibiotic cephalosporin C (cefC). Differences in size of several chromosomes of highly active strain CB26/8 compared to the wild-type strain ATCC 11550 were revealed. It was shown that chromosomal polymorphism in the highly active strain was not associated with alteration of localization and copy number ofcephalosporin C biosynthesis and transport genes. A cluster of "early" cefC biosynthesis genes is located on chromosome VI (4.4 Mb); a cluster of the "late genes", on chromosome II (2.3 Mb). Both clusters are presented as a single copy perA. chrysogenum genome in the wild-type and in CB26/8 producer strains. Based on comparative analysis of laboratory and industrial cefC producers, a karyotype scheme for A. chrysogenum strains of various origins was designed.

[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.

[Expression of modified oxidase of D-aminoacids of Trigonopsis variabilis in methylotrophic yeasts Pichia pastoris]

Effective recombinant strains Pichia pastoris that produce functionally active hybrid of Trigonopsis variabilis D-aminoacids bond with chitin-connecting domain of chitinase A1 of Bacillus circulans (DAOcbd) were obtained. The dependence of DAOcbd production levels from production of the number of copies of "expression cassette" integrated in the AOX1 locus of recombinant strains was studied. It was indicated that synthesized DAOcbd may be easily purified and immobilized on chitin sorbents and possessed high specific activity. Produced strains and methods of their cultivation and DAOcbd extraction may be used for development of technologies of obtaining of biocatalyzers in technological processes of obtaining of 7-aminocephalosporane acid.

[Structure peculiarities of cell walls of Acremonium chrysogenum--an autotroph of cephalosporin C]

Alterations of cell walls of Acremonium chrysogenum occurring at intensive synthesis of cephalosporin C has been studied. It is shown, using electron microscopy, that the cell wall of the cells ofATCC 11550 strain ("wild" type) became looser and thicker during growth. The cell wall of the cells of strain 26/8 (hyperautotroph of cephalosporin C) considerably degraded by the end of the stationary phase. Biochemical analysis has shown that these alterations entailed decrease of the proteins' content covalently or noncovalently linked with the polysaccharides of cell walls of both strains. An increase of sensitivity of cell walls of the strain-superproducer to an activity of lytic enzymes of chitinase, laminarinase, proteinase K, and lyticase preparation has been observed during the growth, but this increase has not been found in the case of "wild" type strain. The obtained results evidence to the structure failure of the cell wall of A. chrysogenum entailing the intensive creation of antibiotic.

Stimulation of cephalosporin C production in Acremonium chrysogenum M35 by glycerol

In this study, the effects of glycerol on cephalosporin C production by Acremonium chrysogenum M35 were evaluated. The addition of glycerol increased cephalosporin production by up to 12-fold. Glycerol caused the upregulation of the transcription of the isopenicillin synthase (pcbC) and transporter (cefT) genes in early exponential phase, and affected the cell morphology since hyphal fragments differentiated into arthrospores. These results indicate that glycerol effectively enhances cephalosporin C production via stimulation of cell differentiation.

[The concentration dynamics of inorganic polyphosphates during the cephalosporin C synthesis by Acremonium chrysogenum]

The contents of five fractions of energy-rich inorganic polyphosphates (polyPs), ATP, and H(+)-ATPase activity in the plasma membrane were determined in a low-activity cephalosporin C (cephC) producer Acremonium chrysogenum ATCC 11550 and selected highly efficient producer strain 26/8 grown on glucose or a synthetic medium providing for active synthesis of this antibiotic. It was shown that strain 26/8 on the synthetic medium produced 26-fold higher amount of cephC as compared with strain ATCC 11550. This was accompanied by a drastic decrease in the cell contents of ATP and the high-molecular-weight fractions polyP2, polyP3, and polyPS with a concurrent increase in the low-molecular-weight fraction polyP1. These data suggest that polyPs are involved in the cephC synthesis as a source of energy. H(+)-ATPase activity insignificantly changed at both low and high levels of cephC production. This confirms the assumption that A. chrysogenum has other alternative antibiotic transporters in addition to cefT. The obtained results can be used for optimizing commercial-scale cephC biosynthesis.

Expression and characterization of polyketide synthase module involved in the late step of cephabacin biosynthesis from Lysobacter lactamgenus

The cephabacins produced by Lysobacter lactamgenus are beta-lactam antibiotics composed of a cephem nucleus, an acetate residue, and an oligopeptide side chain. In order to understand the precise implication of the polyketide synthase (PKS) module in the biosynthesis of cephabacin, the genes for its core domains, beta-ketoacyl synthase (KS), acyltransferase (AT), and acyl carrier protein (ACP), were amplified and cloned into the pET-32b(+) expression vector. The sfp gene encoding a protein that can modify apo-ACP to its active holo-form was also amplified. The recombinant KS, AT, apo-ACP, and Sfp overproduced in the form of His6-tagged fusion proteins in E. coli BL21(DE3) were purified by nickel-affinity chromatography. Formation of stable peptidyl-S-KS was observed by in vitro acylation of the KS domain with the substrate [L-Ala-L-Ala-LAla- L-3H-Arg] tetrapeptide-S-N-acetylcysteamine, which is the evidence for the selective recognition of tetrapeptide produced by nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) in the NRPS/ PKS hybrid. In order to confirm whether malonyl CoA is the extender unit for acetylation of the peptidyl moiety, the AT domain, ACP domain, and Sfp protein were treated with 14C-malonyl-CoA. The results clearly show that the AT domain is able to recognize the extender unit and decarboxylatively acetylated for the elongation of the tetrapeptide. However, the transfer of the activated acetyl group to the ACP domain was not observed, probably attributed to the improper capability of Sfp to activate apo-ACP to the holo-ACP form.

The utilization of beet molasses as a novel carbon source for cephalosporin C production by Acremonium chrysogenum: Optimization of process parameters through statistical experimental designs

In this work, cephalosporin C (CPC) production on pilot scale fermenters of 600l capacity with 350l working volume by Acremonium chrysogenum EMCC 904 was performed. The effects of fermentation medium composition, inoculum concentration, initial pH and aeration rate on CPC production by A. chrysogenum strain was investigated by using response surface methodology (RSM). The Plackett-Burman design which involves two concentrations of each nutrient was effective in searching for the major medium components promoting CPC production. Under our experimental conditions; Soya oil, beet molasses and corn steep liquor were found to be the major factors contributing to the antibiotic production. Subsequently, a Box-Behnken design was used for outlining the concentration of the most effective medium constituents. Estimated optimum composition for the production of CPC was as follows: soya oil, 40g/l; beet molasses, 180g/l; and corn steep liquor, 330g/l. The central composite design was used for outlining the optimum values of the fermentation parameters. Estimated optimum values for the production of CPC are as follows: inoculum level, 10(5.5)spores/ml; initial pH, 4.3; and aeration rate, 9364ml/min.

Enzymatic synthesis of cephalosporins. The immobilized acylase from Arthrobacter viscosus: A new useful biocatalyst

The acylase from Arthrobacter viscosus was immobilized, studied in the enzymatic synthesis of some cephalosporins by kinetically controlled N-acylation (kcNa) of different cephem nuclei, and compared with the penicillin G acylase (PGA) from Escherichia coli. The reaction outcomes were dependent on the acylase microbial source and on the type of immobilization support. Generally, both enzymes, when immobilized onto hydrophilic resins such as glyoxyl-agarose (activated with aldehyde groups), displayed higher synthetic performances in comparison with hydrophobic acrylic epoxy-supports like Eupergit C. The kcNa of 7-amino cephalosporanic acid catalyzed by A. viscosus immobilized on glyoxyl-agarose afforded a quantitative conversion in 7-[(1-hydroxy-1-phenyl)-acetamido]-3-acetoxymethyl-Delta(3)-cephem-4-carboxylic acid, a useful intermediate for the synthesis of Cefamandole and Cefonicid. Similar results were obtained in the synthesis of these cephalosporins by direct acylation of the corresponding 3'-functionalized nucleus. In these reactions, A. viscosus displayed higher synthetic performances than the PGA from E. coli.

Deacetylcephalosporin C production in Penicillium chrysogenum by expression of the isopenicillin N epimerization, ring expansion, and acetylation genes

Penicillium chrysogenum npe6 lacking isopenicillin N acyltransferase activity is an excellent host for production of different beta-lactam antibiotics. We have constructed P. chrysogenum strains expressing cefD1, cefD2, cefEF, and cefG genes cloned from Acremonium chrysogenum. Northern analysis revealed that the four genes were expressed in P. chrysogenum. The recombinant strains TA64, TA71, and TA98 secreted significant amounts of deacetylcephalosporin C, but cephalosporin C was not detected in the culture broths. DAC-acetyltransferase activity was found in all transformants containing the cefG gene. HPLC analysis of cell extracts showed that transformant TA64, TA71, and TA98 accumulate intracellularly deacetylcephalosporin C and, in the last strain (TA98), also cephalosporin C. Mass spectra analysis confirmed that transformant TA98 synthesize true deacetylcephalosporin C and cephalosporin C. Even when accumulated intracellularly, cephalosporin C was not found in the culture broth.

A homologue of the Aspergillus velvet gene regulates both cephalosporin C biosynthesis and hyphal fragmentation in Acremonium chrysogenum

The Aspergillus nidulans velvet (veA) gene encodes a global regulator of gene expression controlling sexual development as well as secondary metabolism. We have identified the veA homologue AcveA from Acremonium chrysogenum, the major producer of the beta-lactam antibiotic cephalosporin C. Two different disruption strains as well as the corresponding complements were generated as a prelude to detailed functional analysis. Northern hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR clearly indicate that the nucleus-localized AcVEA polypeptide controls the transcriptional expression of six cephalosporin C biosynthesis genes. The most drastic reduction in expression is seen for cefEF, encoding the deacetoxycephalosporine/deacetylcephalosporine synthetase. After 120 h of growth, the cefEF transcript level is below 15% in both disruption strains compared to the wild type. These transcriptional expression data are consistent with results from a comparative and time-dependent high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of cephalosporin C production. Compared to the recipient, both disruption strains have a cephalosporin C titer that is reduced by 80%. In addition to its role in cephalosporin C biosynthesis, AcveA is involved in the developmentally dependent hyphal fragmentation. In both disruption strains, hyphal fragmentation is already observed after 48 h of growth, whereas in the recipient strain, arthrospores are not even detected before 96 h of growth. Finally, the two mutant strains show hyperbranching of hyphal tips on osmotically nonstabilized media. Our findings will be significant for biotechnical processes that require a defined stage of cellular differentiation for optimal production of secondary metabolites.

Construction of recombinant Escherichia coli D11/pMSTO and its use in enzymatic preparation of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid in one pot

The main drawback in the industrial production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid is the accumulation of intermediate (AKA-7-ACA) and destruction of substrate (cephalosporin C) catalyzed by catalase and beta-lactamase. To overcome the adverse effect of these enzymes on the conversion process, Escherichia coli D11 with mutation of katG, katE and ampC genes was constructed by P1 phage transduction, which enabled it not to produce catalase and beta-lactamase, respectively. At the same time, recA mutation in D11 increased the stability of foreign plasmid. With D11 used as host, both d-amino acid oxidase and GL-7-ACA acylase were cloned and expressed by the recombinant plasmids of pMSS or pMSTO, and the production of two enzymes could be increased by addition of 1.0% glucose. Cells of recombinant strain D11/pMSTO could directly convert cephalosporin C into 7-aminocephalosporanic acid at 25 degrees C, with the yield of more than 74%. The data suggested that the constructed D11/pMSTO could be an alternative catalyst for production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid in one pot.

An efficient fungal RNA-silencing system using the DsRed reporter gene

In filamentous fungi, RNA silencing is an attractive alternative to disruption experiments for the functional analysis of genes. We adapted the gene encoding the autofluorescent DsRed protein as a reporter to monitor the silencing process in fungal transformants. Using the cephalosporin C producer Acremonium chrysogenum, strains showing a high level of expression of the DsRed gene were constructed, resulting in red fungal colonies. Transfer of a hairpin-expressing vector carrying fragments of the DsRed gene allowed efficient silencing of DsRed expression. Monitoring of this process by Northern hybridization, real-time PCR quantification, and spectrofluorometric measurement of the DsRed protein confirmed that downregulation of gene expression can be observed at different expression levels. The usefulness of the DsRed silencing system was demonstrated by investigating cosilencing of DsRed together with pcbC, encoding the isopenicillin N synthase, an enzyme involved in cephalosporin C biosynthesis. Downregulation of pcbC can be detected easily by a bioassay measuring the antibiotic activity of individual strains. In addition, the presence of the isopenicillin N synthase was investigated by Western blot hybridization. All transformants having a colorless phenotype showed simultaneous downregulation of the pcbC gene, albeit at different levels. The RNA-silencing system presented here should be a powerful genetic tool for strain improvement and genome-wide analysis of this biotechnologically important filamentous fungus.