Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Paper
  • Published:

Commercial Levels of Chymosin Production by Aspergillus

Abstract

We have increased the production of bovine chymosin in Aspergillus niger var. awamori to more than one gram per liter of secreted authentic enzyme by combining a mutagenesis protocol with a novel robotic screening program. Analysis of the superior chymosin producing strains indicated that they have enhanced capabilities to secrete extracellular proteins.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. van Brunt, J. 1986. Fungi: The perfect hosts? Bio/Technology 4: 1057–1422.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Berka, R.M. and Barnett, C. 1989. The development of gene expression systems for filamentous fungi. Biotech. Adv. 7: 127–154.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Christensen, T., Woeldike, H., Boel, E., Mortensen, S.B., Hjortshoej, K., Thim, L. and Hansen, M.T. 1988. High level expression of recombinant genes in Aspergillus oryzae. Bio/Technology 6: 1419–1422.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Cullen, D., Gray, G.L., Wilson, L.J., Hayenga, K.J., Lamsa, M.H., Rey, M.W., Norton, S. and Berka, R.M. 1987. Controlled expression and secretion of bovine chymosin in Aspergillus nidulans. Bio/Technology 5: 369–376.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gwynne, D.I., Buxton, F.P., Williams, S.A., Garven, S. and Davies, R.W. 1987. Genetically engineered secretion of active human interferon and a bacterial endoglucanase from Aspergillus nidulans. Bio/Technology 5: 713–719.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Upshall, A., Kumar, A.A., Bailey, M.C., Parker, M.D., Favreau, M.A., Lewison, K.P., Joeseph, M.L., Maraganore, M. and McKnight, G.L. 1987. Secretion of active human tissue plasminogen from the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Bio/Technology 5: 1301–1304.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Harkki, J., Uusitalo, J., Bailey, M., Penttila, M. and Knowles, J.K.C. 1989. A novel fungal expression system: secretion of active calf chymosin from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. Bio/Technology 7: 169–174.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Foltmann, B. 1981. Gastric protease: Structure, function evolution and mechanism of action. Essays Biochem. 17: 53–84.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pedersen, V.B., Christensen, K.A. and Foltmann, B. 1979. Investigations on the activation of bovine prochymosin. Eur. J. Biol. Chem. 94: 573–580.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ward, M. 1989 Production of calf chymosin by Aspergillus awamori, p. 288–294 In: Genetics and molecular Biology of Industrial Microorganisms. C. L. Hershberger, S.W. Queener and G. Hageman(Eds.). American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ward, M. 1989. Heterologous gene expression in Aspergillus. In: Proceedings of the EMBO-Alko Workshop on Molecular Biology of Filamentous Fungi. H. Nevalainen and M. Penttila (Eds.). Foundation for Biotechnical and Industrial Fermentation Research 6: 119–128.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ward, M., Wilson, L.J., Kodama, K.H., Rey, M.W. and Berka, R.M. 1990. Improved production of chymosin in Aspergillus by expression as a glucoamylase-chymosin fusion. Bio/Technology 8: 435–440.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lamsa, M. and Bloebaum, P. 1990. Mutation and screening to increase chymosin yield in a genetically engineered strain of Aspergillus awamori. J. Ind. Microbiol. 5: 229–238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Berka, R.M., Ward, M., Wilson, L.J., Hayenga, K.J., Kodama, K.H., Carlomagno, L.P. and Thompson, S.A. 1990. Molecular cloning and deletion of the aspergillopepsin A gene from Aspergillus awamori. Gene. 86: 2153–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Allen, K.E., McNally, M.T., Lowendorf, H.S., Slayman, C.W. and Free, S.J. 1989. Deoxyglucose-resistant mutants of Neurospora crassa: Isolation, mapping, and biochemical characterization. J. Bacteriol. 171: 53–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Rowlands, R.T. and Turner, G. 1973. Nuclear and extranuclear inheritance of oligomycin resistance in Aspergillus nidulans. Mol. Gen. Genet. 126: 201–216.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. van Hartingsveldt, W., Mattern, I.E., van Zieijl, C.M.J., Pouwels, P.H. and van den Hondel, C.A.M.J.J. 1987. Development of a homologous transformation system for Aspergillus niger based on the pyrG gene. Mol. Gen. Genet. 206: 71–75.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Campbell, E.I., Unkles, S.E., Macro, J.A., Van den Hondel, C., Contreras, R. and Kinghorn, J.R. 1989. Improved transformation efficiency of Aspergillus niger using the homologous niaD gene for nitrate reductase. Curr. Genet. 16: 53–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kelly, J.M. and Hynes, M. 1985. Transformation of Aspergillus niger by the amdS gene from Aspergillus nidulans. EMBO J. 4: 475–479.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Maniatis, T., Fritsch, E.F. and Sambrook, J. 1982. Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Carlton, B.C. and Brown, B.J. 1981. Gene mutation, 222–232. In: Manual of Methods for General Bacteriology. P. Gerhardt(Ed.). American Society for Microbiology. Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Ohnishi, S.T. and Barr, J.K. 1978. A simplified method of quantitating proteins using the biuret and phenol reagents. Anal. Biochem. 86: 193–197.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Laemmili, U.K. 1970. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227: 680–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Sleep, D., Belfield, G.P., Ballance, D.J., Steven, J., Jones, S., Evans, L.R., Moir, P.D. and Goodey, A.R. 1991. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that overexpress heterologous proteins. Bio/Technology 9: 183–186.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. van den Berg, J.A., van der Laken, K.J., van Ooyen, J.J., Renniers, T.C.H.M., Rietveld, K. and Schaap, A., Brake, A.J., Bishop, R.J., Schultz, K., Moyer, D., Richman, M. and FShuster, J.R. 1990. Kluyveromyces as a host for heterologous gene expression: Expression and secretion of prochymosin. Bio/Technology 8: 135–139.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dunn-Coleman, N., Bloebaum, P., Berka, R. et al. Commercial Levels of Chymosin Production by Aspergillus. Nat Biotechnol 9, 976–981 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1091-976

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1091-976

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing