Studies of Cyclosporin A Biosynthesis under the Conditions of Limited Dissolved Oxygen or Carbon Source in Fed-batch Culture

We investigated the effects of dissolved oxygen (D.O.) and fructose (C-source) on cell growth and biosynthesis of cyclosporin A (CyA) produced as a secondary metabolite by a wild-type filamentous fungus, Tolypocladium inflatum. This was performed by controlling the level of D.O. and the residual C-source, as required, through adjustment of medium flow rate, medium concentration and agitation rate in fed-batch cultures. CyA production was furned out to be maximal, when D.O. level was controlled around 10% saturated D.O. and concentration of the C-source was maintained sufficiently low (below 2 g/L) not to cause carbon catabolite repression. Under this culture condition, we obtained the highest values of CyA concentration (507.14 mg/L), Qp (2.11 mg CyA/L/hr), $Y_x/s$ (0.49 g DCW/g fructose), $Y_p/s$<(22.56 mg CyA/g fructose), and YTEX>$_p/x$</TEX> (48.31 mg CyA/g DCW), but relatively lower values of cell concentration (11.98 g DCW/L) and cell productivity (0.043 g DCW/L/hr), in comparison with other parallel fed-batch fermentation conditions. These results implied that, in the carbon-limited culture with 10% saturated D.O. level, the producer microorganism utilized the C-source more efficiently for secondary metabolism