| 1. |
- Grijseels, S., et al.
(author)
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Identification of the decumbenone biosynthetic gene cluster in penicillium decumbens and the importance for production of calbistrin
- 2018
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In: Fungal Biology and Biotechnology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2054-3085. ; 5:1, s. 1-17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Filamentous fungi are important producers of secondary metabolites, low molecular weight molecules that often have bioactive properties. Calbistrin A is a secondary metabolite with an interesting structure that was recently found to have bioactivity against leukemia cells. It consists of two polyketides linked by an ester bond: a bicy-clic decalin containing polyketide with structural similarities to lovastatin, and a linear 12 carbon dioic acid structure. Calbistrin A is known to be produced by several uniseriate black Aspergilli, Aspergillus versicolor-related species, and Penicillia. Penicillium decumbens produces calbistrin A and B as well as several putative intermediates of the calbistrin pathway, such as decumbenone A-B and versiol. Results: A comparative genomics study focused on the polyketide synthase (PKS) sets found in three full genome sequence calbistrin producing fungal species, P. decumbens, A. aculeatus and A. versicolor, resulted in the identification of a novel, putative 13-membered calbistrin producing gene cluster (calA to calM). Implementation of the CRISPR/ Cas9 technology in P. decumbens allowed the targeted deletion of genes encoding a polyketide synthase (calA), a major facilitator pump (calB) and a binuclear zinc cluster transcription factor (calC). Detailed metabolic profiling, using UHPLC-MS, of the ∆calA (PKS) and ∆calC ( TF) strains confirmed the suspected involvement in calbistrin productions as neither strains produced calbistrin nor any of the putative intermediates in the pathway. Similarly analysis of the excreted metabolites in the ∆calB (MFC-pump) strain showed that the encoded pump was required for efficient export of calbistrin A and B. Conclusion: Here we report the discovery of a gene cluster (calA-M) involved in the biosynthesis of the polyketide calbistrin in P. decumbens. Targeted gene deletions proved the involvement of CalA (polyketide synthase) in the biosynthesis of calbistrin, CalB (major facilitator pump) for the export of calbistrin A and B and CalC for the transcriptional regulation of the cal-cluster. This study lays the foundation for further characterization of the calbistrin biosynthetic pathway in multiple species and the development of an efficient calbistrin producing cell factory.
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| 2. |
- Verhoeven, Maarten D., et al.
(author)
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Laboratory evolution of a glucose-phosphorylation-deficient, arabinose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strain reveals mutations in GAL2 that enable glucose-insensitive L-arabinose uptake
- 2018
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In: FEMS yeast research (Print). - : Oxford University Press. - 1567-1356 .- 1567-1364. ; 18:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cas9-assisted genome editing was used to construct an engineered glucose-phosphorylation-negative S. cerevisiae strain, expressing the Lactobacillus plantarum L-arabinose pathway and the Penicillium chrysogenum transporter PcAraT. This strain, which showed a growth rate of 0.26 h(-1) on L-arabinose in aerobic batch cultures, was subsequently evolved for anaerobic growth on L-arabinose in the presence of D-glucose and D-xylose. In four strains isolated from two independent evolution experiments the galactose-transporter gene GAL2 had been duplicated, with all alleles encoding Gal2(N376T) or Gal(2N376I) substitutions. In one strain, a single GAL2 allele additionally encoded a Gal2(T89I) substitution, which was subsequently also detected in the independently evolved strain IMS0010. In C-14-sugar-transport assays, Gal2(N376S), Gal2(N376T) and Gal(2N376I) substitutions showed a much lower glucose sensitivity of L-arabinose transport and a much higher Km for D-glucose transport than wild-type Gal2. Introduction of the Gal2(N376I) substitution in a non-evolved strain enabled growth on L-arabinose in the presence of D-glucose. Gal2(N376T), T89I and Gal2(T89I) variants showed a lower K-m for L-arabinose and a higher K-m for D-glucose than wild-type Gal2, while reverting Gal2(N376T), T89I to Gal2(N376) in an evolved strain negatively affected anaerobic growth on L-arabinose. This study indicates that optimal conversion of mixed-sugar feedstocks may require complex 'transporter landscapes', consisting of sugar transporters with complementary kinetic and regulatory properties.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Reimann, Julia, et al.
(author)
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Regulation of archaella expression by the FHA and von Willebrand domain-containing proteins ArnA and ArnB in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
- 2012
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In: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 86:1, s. 24-36
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ability of microorganisms to sense and respond to sudden changes in their environment is often based on regulatory systems comprising reversible protein phosphorylation. The archaellum (former: archaeal flagellum) is used for motility in Archaea and therefore functionally analogous to the bacterial flagellum. In contrast with archaellum-mediated movement in certain members of the Euryarchaeota, this process, including its regulation, remains poorly studied in crenarchaeal organisms like Sulfolobus species. Recently, it was shown in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius that tryptone limiting conditions led to the induction of archaella expression and assembly. Here we have identified two proteins, the FHA domain-containing protein ArnA and the vWA domain-containing protein ArnB that are involved in regulating archaella expression in S. acidocaldarius. Both proteins are phosphorylated by protein kinases in vitro and interact strongly in vivo. Phenotypic analyses revealed that these two proteins are repressors of archaella expression. These results represent the first step in understanding the networks that underlie regulation of cellular motility in Crenarchaeota and emphasize the importance of protein phosphorylation in the regulation of cellular processes in the Archaea.
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| 5. |
- Mózsik, László, et al.
(author)
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CRISPR-based transcriptional activation tool for silent genes in filamentous fungi
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322 .- 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Filamentous fungi are historically known to be a rich reservoir of bioactive compounds that are applied in a myriad of fields ranging from crop protection to medicine. The surge of genomic data available shows that fungi remain an excellent source for new pharmaceuticals. However, most of the responsible biosynthetic gene clusters are transcriptionally silent under laboratory growth conditions. Therefore, generic strategies for activation of these clusters are required. Here, we present a genome-editing-free, transcriptional regulation tool for filamentous fungi, based on the CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) methodology. Herein, a nuclease-defective mutant of Cas9 (dCas9) was fused to a highly active tripartite activator VP64-p65-Rta (VPR) to allow for sgRNA directed targeted gene regulation. dCas9-VPR was introduced, together with an easy to use sgRNA “plug-and-play” module, into a non-integrative AMA1-vector, which is compatible with several filamentous fungal species. To demonstrate its potential, this vector was used to transcriptionally activate a fluorescent reporter gene under the control of the penDE core promoter in Penicillium rubens. Subsequently, we activated the transcriptionally silent, native P. rubens macrophorin biosynthetic gene cluster by targeting dCas9-VPR to the promoter region of the transcription factor macR. This resulted in the production of antimicrobial macrophorins. This CRISPRa technology can be used for the rapid and convenient activation of silent fungal biosynthetic gene clusters, and thereby aid in the identification of novel compounds such as antimicrobials.
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| 6. |
- Mózsik, László, et al.
(author)
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Modular synthetic biology toolkit for filamentous fungi
- 2021
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In: ACS Synthetic Biology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2161-5063. ; 10:11, s. 2850-2861
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Filamentous fungi are highly productive cell factories, often used in industry for the production of enzymes and small bioactive compounds. Recent years have seen an increasing number of synthetic-biology-based applications in fungi, emphasizing the need for a synthetic biology toolkit for these organisms. Here we present a collection of 96 genetic parts, characterized in Penicillium or Aspergillus species, that are compatible and interchangeable with the Modular Cloning system. The toolkit contains natural and synthetic promoters (constitutive and inducible), terminators, fluorescent reporters, and selection markers. Furthermore, there are regulatory and DNA-binding domains of transcriptional regulators and components for implementing different CRISPR-based technologies. Genetic parts can be assembled into complex multipartite assemblies and delivered through genomic integration or expressed from an AMA1-sequence-based, fungal-replicating shuttle vector. With this toolkit, synthetic transcription units with established promoters, fusion proteins, or synthetic transcriptional regulation devices can be more rapidly assembled in a standardized and modular manner for novel fungal cell factories.
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| 7. |
- Mózsik, László, et al.
(author)
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Synthetic control devices for gene regulation in Penicillium chrysogenum
- 2019
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In: Microbial Cell Factories. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1475-2859. ; 18:1, s. 203-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Orthogonal, synthetic control devices were developed for Penicillium chrysogenum, a model filamentous fungus and industrially relevant cell factory. In the synthetic transcription factor, the QF DNA-binding domain of the transcription factor of the quinic acid gene cluster of Neurospora crassa is fused to the VP16 activation domain. This synthetic transcription factor controls the expression of genes under a synthetic promoter containing quinic acid upstream activating sequence (QUAS) elements, where it binds. A gene cluster may demand an expression tuned individually for each gene, which is a great advantage provided by this system. RESULTS: The control devices were characterized with respect to three of their main components: expression of the synthetic transcription factors, upstream activating sequences, and the affinity of the DNA binding domain of the transcription factor to the upstream activating domain. This resulted in synthetic expression devices, with an expression ranging from hardly detectable to a level similar to that of highest expressed native genes. The versatility of the control device was demonstrated by fluorescent reporters and its application was confirmed by synthetically controlling the production of penicillin. CONCLUSIONS: The characterization of the control devices in microbioreactors, proved to give excellent indications for how the devices function in production strains and conditions. We anticipate that these well-characterized and robustly performing control devices can be widely applied for the production of secondary metabolites and other compounds in filamentous fungi.
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| 8. |
- Mózsik, László, et al.
(author)
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Synthetic control devices for gene regulation in Penicillium chrysogenum
- 2020
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Synthetic biology aims at controlled gene regulation that can lead to increased production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. In this work synthetic control devices were developed for Penicillium chrysogenum, a model filamentous fungus and industrially relevant cell factory.
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| 9. |
- Pohl, Carsten, et al.
(author)
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Genome editing in penicillium chrysogenum using cas9 ribonucleoprotein particles
- 2018
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In: Methods in Molecular Biology. - New York, NY : Springer New York. - 1940-6029 .- 1064-3745. ; , s. 213-232
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Several CRISPR/Cas9 tools have been recently established for precise genome editing in a wide range of filamentous fungi. This genome editing platform offers high flexibility in target selection and the possibility of introducing genetic deletions without the introduction of transgenic sequences. This chapter describes an approach for the transformation of Penicillium chrysogenum protoplasts with preassembled ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) consisting of purified Cas9 protein and in vitro transcribed single guide RNA (sgRNA) for the deletion of genome sequences or their replacement with alternative sequences. This method is potentially transferable to all fungal strains where protoplasts can be obtained from.
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| 10. |
- Viggiano, Annarita, et al.
(author)
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Pathway for the biosynthesis of the pigment chrysogine by Penicillium chrysogenum
- 2018
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In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - 1098-5336 .- 0099-2240. ; 84:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chrysogine is a yellow pigment produced by Penicillium chrysogenum and other filamentous fungi. Although the pigment was first isolated in 1973, its biosynthetic pathway has so far not been resolved. Here, we show that deletion of the highly expressed nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene Pc21g12630 (chyA) resulted in a decrease in the production of chrysogine and 13 related compounds in the culture broth of P. chrysogenum. Each of the genes of the chyAcontaining gene cluster was individually deleted, and corresponding mutants were examined by metabolic profiling in order to elucidate their function. The data suggest that the NRPS ChyA mediates the condensation of anthranilic acid and alanine into the intermediate 2-(2-aminopropanamido)benzoic acid, which was verified by feeding experiments of a ΔchyA strain with the chemically synthesized product. The remainder of the pathway is highly branched, yielding at least 13 chrysogine-related compounds.
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