Characterization of nerolidol biotransformation based on indirect on-line estimation of biomass concentration and physiological state in batch cultures of Aspergillus niger

Biotransformation of the sesquiterpenoid trans-nerolidol by Aspergillus niger has previously been investigated as a method for the formation of 12-hydroxy- trans-nerolidol, a precursor in the synthesis of the industrially interesting flavor -sinensal. We characterized biotransformations of cis-nerolidol, trans-nerolidol, and a commercially available cis/ trans-nerolidol mixture in repeated batch cultures of A. niger grown in computer-controlled bioreactors. On-line quantification of titrant addition in pH control allowed characterization of (1) maximal specific growth rate in exponential growth phases, (2) exponential induction of acid formation in postexponential phases, (3) inhibition of organic acid formation after nerolidol addition, and (4) exponential recovery from this inhibition. Addition of a (±)- cis/ trans-nerolidol mixture during exponential or postexponential phase to cultures grown in minimal medium at high dissolved oxygen tension (above 50% air saturation), to cultures at low dissolved oxygen tension (5% air saturation), or to cultures grown in rich medium demonstrated that the physiological state before nerolidol addition had a major influence on biotransformation. The maximal molar yield of 12-hydroxy- trans-nerolidol (9%) was obtained by addition of a (±)- cis/trans-nerolidol mixture to the culture in the postexponential phase at high dissolved oxygen tension in minimal medium. Similar yields were obtained in rich medium, where the rate of biotransformation was double

Determination of first order rate constants by natural logarithm of the slope plot exemplified by analysis of Aspergillus niger in batch culture

Finding rate constants from experimental data is often difficult because of offset and noise. A computer program was developed to average experimental data points, reducing the effect of noise, and to produce a loge of slope plot - a plot of the natural logarithm of the slope of a curve - eliminating the effect of any offset. If y-values depend exponentially on x-values the loge of slope plot is rectilinear and the slope is equal to the first order rate constant. Therefore the loge of slope plot provides easy identification of exponential sections of any experimental or calculated data, corresponding rate constants, and small changes in the rate constant as exemplified by analysis of titrant added to a batch culture of Aspergillus niger. The loge of slope plot was easily applicable and superior to conventional methods of analysis of exponential decreasing or increasing data

Fast response filter module with plug flow of filtrate for on-line sampling from submerged cultures of filamentous fungi

Automatic and accurate sampling is both convenient and sometimes necessary to obtain detailed information about cell cultures. We developed an autoclavable sampling system in which culture broth was pumped through an ultrafiltration cross-flow module with a novel filtrate collecting principle and a novel regulation of filter back pressure. Filtrate was collected from equal membrane filter areas through holes connected to channels with an even length to the collecting point, resulting in a near plug flow of filtrate and a reduction in the response time to 1 min (98% of full signal of the tracer molecule glucose). Constant pressure difference (0.3 bar) across the membrane filter (30 kDa cutoff value) and prevention of leakage was obtained by squeezing the tubing with culture broth between two flexible spring steel plates fixed at one corner (filtrate flow 1 ml min¿1). The large contact area allowed the tubing to open the passage more when pressure increased. Using this design of sampling system, the metabolite profiles of Aspergillus niger wild type and a phosphofructokinase overexpressing strain (three times wild type) were concluded to be indistinguishable by detailed monitoring of fast transients of substrates and products in batch culture and glucose pulse experiments. The combination of the fast response filter module and prevention of high pressure peaks with the flexible resistance to flow enables long-term (>5 days) and automatic monitoring of cultures of filamentous fungi or other microorganisms with fast changes in extracellular concentrations

Glucose uptake and growth of glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Aspergillus niger and a disruptant lacking MstA, a high-affinity glucose transporter

This is a study of high-affinity glucose uptake in Aspergillus niger and the effect of disruption of a high-affinity monosaccharide-transporter gene, mstA. The substrate saturation constant (K-s) of a reference strain was about 15 mu M in glucose-limited chemostat culture. Disruption of mstA resulted in a two- to fivefold reduction in affinity for glucose and led to expression of a low-affinity glucose transport gene, mstC, at high dilution rate. The effect of mstA disruption was more subtle at low and intermediate dilution rates, pointing to some degree of functional redundancy in the high-affinity uptake system of A. niger. The mstA disruptant and a reference strain were cultivated in glucose-limited chemostat cultures at low, intermediate and high dilution rate (D=0.07 h(-1), 0.14 h(-1) and 0.20 h(-1)). Mycelium harvested from steady-state cultures was subjected to glucose uptake assays, and analysed for expression of mstA and two other transporter genes, mstC and mstF The capacity for glucose uptake (V-max) of both strains was significantly reduced at low dilution rate. The glucose uptake assays revealed complex uptake kinetics. This impeded accurate determination of maximum specific uptake rates (V-max) and apparent affinity constants (K-m(app)) at intermediate and high dilution rate. Two high-affinity glucose transporter genes, mstA and mstF, were expressed at all three dilution rates in chemostat cultures, in contrast to batch culture, where only mstC was expressed. Expression patterns of the three transporter genes suggested differential regulation and functionality of their products

Isolation of a fluffy mutant of Aspergillus niger from chemostat culture and its potential use as a morphologically stable host for protein production

Chemostat cultivation of Aspergillus niger and other filamentous fungi is often hindered by the spontaneous appearance of morphologic mutants. Using the Variomixing bioreactor and applying different chemostat conditions we tried to optimize morphologic stability in both ammonium- and glucose-limited cultures. In most cultivations mutants with fluffy (aconidial) morphology became dominant. From an ammonium-limited culture, a fluffy mutant was isolated and genetically characterized using the parasexual cycle. The mutant contained a single morphological mutation, causing an increased colony radial growth rate. The fluffy mutant was subjected to transformation and finally conidiospores from a forced heterokaryon were shown to be a proper inoculum for fluffy strain cultivation. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Increased NADPH concentration obtained by metabolic engineering of the pentose phosphate pathway in Aspergillus niger

Many biosynthetic reactions and bioconversions are limited by low availability of NADPH. With the purpose of increasing the NADPH concentration and/or the flux through the pentose phosphate pathway in Aspergillus niger, the genes encoding glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (gsdA), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (gndA) and transketolase (tktA) were cloned and overexpressed in separate strains. Intracellular NADPH concentration was increased two- to ninefold as a result of 13-fold overproduction of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Although overproduction of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase changed the concentration of several metabolites it did not result in increased NADPH concentration. To establish the effects of overexpression of the three genes, wild-type and overexpressing strains were characterized in detail in exponential and stationary phase of bioreactor cultures containing minimal media, with glucose as the carbon source and ammonium or nitrate as the nitrogen source and final cell density limiting substrate. Enzymes, intermediary metabolites, polyol pools (intra- and extracellular), organic acids, growth rates and rate constant of induction of acid production in postexponential phase were measured. None of the modified strains had a changed growth rate. Partial least square regressions showed the correlations between NADPH and up to 40 other variables (concentration of enzymes and metabolites) and it was possible to predict the intracellular NADPH concentration from relatively easily obtainable data (the concentration of enzymes, polyols and oxalate). This prediction might be used in screening for high NADPH levels in engineered strains or mutants of other organisms