To reduce the secondary metabolite background in Aspergillus nidulans and minimize the rediscovery of compounds and pathway intermediates, we created a “genetic dereplication” strain in which we ...deleted eight of the most highly expressed secondary metabolite gene clusters (more than 244,000 base pairs deleted in total). This strain allowed us to discover a novel compound that we designate aspercryptin and to propose a biosynthetic pathway for the compound. Interestingly, aspercryptin is formed from compounds produced by two separate gene clusters, one of which makes the well‐known product cichorine. This raises the exciting possibility that fungi use differential regulation of expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters to increase the diversity of metabolites they produce.
Cutting through the mix: Deletion of eight of the most highly expressed secondary metabolite gene clusters in Aspergillus nidulans enabled the isolation of a new natural product, aspercryptin. This unusual product is biosynthesized by the combination of one known and one unexplored biosynthetic pathway.
The sequencing of Aspergillus genomes has revealed that the products of a large number of secondary metabolism pathways have not yet been identified. This is probably because many secondary ...metabolite gene clusters are not expressed under normal laboratory culture conditions. It is, therefore, important to discover conditions or regulatory factors that can induce the expression of these genes. We report that the deletion of sumO, the gene that encodes the small ubiquitin-like protein SUMO in A. nidulans, caused a dramatic increase in the production of the secondary metabolite asperthecin and a decrease in the synthesis of austinol/dehydroaustinol and sterigmatocystin. The overproduction of asperthecin in the sumO deletion mutant has allowed us, through a series of targeted deletions, to identify the genes required for asperthecin synthesis. The asperthecin biosynthesis genes are clustered and include genes encoding an iterative type I polyketide synthase, a hydrolase, and a monooxygenase. The identification of these genes allows us to propose a biosynthetic pathway for asperthecin.
Fungi are prolific producers of secondary metabolites (SMs) that show a variety of biological activities. Recent advances in genome sequencing have shown that fungal genomes harbor far more SM gene ...clusters than are expressed under conventional laboratory conditions. Activation of these “silent” gene clusters is a major challenge, and many approaches have been taken to attempt to activate them and, thus, unlock the vast treasure chest of fungal SMs. This review will cover recent advances in genome mining of SMs in
Aspergillus nidulans
. We will also discuss current updates in gene annotation of
A. nidulans
and recent developments in
A. nidulans
as a molecular genetic system, both of which are essential for rapid and efficient experimental verification of SM gene clusters on a genome-wide scale. Finally, we will describe advances in the use of
A. nidulans
as a heterologous expression system to aid in the analysis of SM gene clusters from other fungal species that do not have an established molecular genetic system.
Citreoviridin (1) belongs to a class of F1-ATPase β-subunit inhibitors that are synthesized by highly reducing polyketide synthases. These potent mycotoxins share an α-pyrone polyene structure, and ...they include aurovertin, verrucosidin, and asteltoxin. The identification of the citreoviridin biosynthetic gene cluster in Aspergillus terreus var. aureus and its reconstitution using heterologous expression in Aspergillus nidulans are reported. Two intermediates were isolated that allowed the proposal of the biosynthetic pathway of citreoviridin.
Meroterpenoids are a class of fungal natural products that are produced from polyketide and terpenoid precursors. An understanding of meroterpenoid biosynthesis at the genetic level should facilitate ...engineering of second-generation molecules and increasing production of first-generation compounds. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans has previously been found to produce two meroterpenoids, austinol and dehydroaustinol. Using targeted deletions that we created, we have determined that, surprisingly, two separate gene clusters are required for meroterpenoid biosynthesis. One is a cluster of four genes including a polyketide synthase gene, ausA. The second is a cluster of 10 additional genes including a prenyltransferase gene, ausN, located on a separate chromosome. Chemical analysis of mutant extracts enabled us to isolate 3,5-dimethylorsellinic acid and 10 additional meroterpenoids that are either intermediates or shunt products from the biosynthetic pathway. Six of them were identified as novel meroterpenoids in this study. Our data, in aggregate, allow us to propose a complete biosynthetic pathway for the A. nidulans meroterpenoids.
The 6,6‐quinolone scaffold of the viridicatin‐type of fungal alkaloids are found in various quinolone alkaloids which often exhibit useful biological activities. Thus, it is of interest to identify ...viridicatin‐forming enzymes and understand how such alkaloids are biosynthesized. Here an Aspergillal gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of 4′‐methoxyviridicatin was identified. Detailed in vitro studies led to the discovery of the dioxygenase AsqJ which performs two distinct oxidations: first desaturation to form a double bond and then monooxygenation of the double bond to install an epoxide. Interestingly, the epoxidation promotes non‐enzymatic rearrangement of the 6,7‐bicyclic core of 4′‐methoxycyclopenin into the 6,6‐quinolone viridicatin scaffold to yield 4′‐methoxyviridicatin. The finding provides new insight into the biosynthesis of the viridicatin scaffold and suggests dioxygenase as a potential tool for 6,6‐quinolone synthesis by epoxidation of benzodiazepinediones.
A double role: The isolation of an Aspergillal gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of 4′‐methoxyviridicatin led to the discovery of the dioxygenase AsqJ, which performs two distinct oxidations: first dehydrogenation to form a double bond and then monooxygenation of the double bond to form an epoxide. Interestingly, the epoxidation promotes non‐enzymatic rearrangement of a 6,7‐bicyclic core into the 6,6‐quinolone viridicatin scaffold.
Fungal genome projects are revealing thousands of cryptic secondary metabolism (SM) biosynthetic gene clusters that encode pathways that potentially produce valuable compounds. Heterologous ...expression systems should allow these clusters to be expressed and their products obtained, but approaches are needed to identify the most valuable target clusters. The inp cluster of Aspergillus nidulans contains a gene, inpE, that encodes a proteasome subunit, leading us to hypothesize that the inp cluster produces a proteasome inhibitor and inpE confers resistance to this compound. Previous efforts to express this cluster have failed, but by sequentially replacing the promoters of the genes of the cluster with a regulatable promotor, we have expressed them successfully. Expression reveals that the product of the inp cluster is the proteasome inhibitor fellutamide B, and our data allow us to propose a biosynthetic pathway for the compound. By deleting inpE and activating expression of the inp cluster, we demonstrate that inpE is required for resistance to internally produced fellutamide B. These data provide experimental validation for the hypothesis that some fungal SM clusters contain genes that encode resistant forms of the enzymes targeted by the compound produced by the cluster.
Epipolythiodioxopiperazines (ETPs) are a class of fungal secondary metabolites derived from diketopiperazines. Acetylaranotin belongs to one structural subgroup of ETPs characterized by the presence ...of a seven-membered 4,5-dihydrooxepine ring. Defining the genes involved in acetylaranotin biosynthesis should provide a means to increase the production of these compounds and facilitate the engineering of second-generation molecules. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus terreus produces acetylaranotin and related natural products. Using targeted gene deletions, we have identified a cluster of nine genes (including one nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene, ataP) that is required for acetylaranotin biosynthesis. Chemical analysis of the wild-type and mutant strains enabled us to isolate 17 natural products from the acetylaranotin biosynthesis pathway. Nine of the compounds identified in this study are natural products that have not been reported previously. Our data have allowed us to propose a biosynthetic pathway for acetylaranotin and related natural products.
The genome sequencing of Aspergillus species including A. nidulans reveals that the products of many of the secondary metabolism pathways in these fungi have not been elucidated. Our examination of ...the 27 polyketide synthases (PKS) in A. nidulans revealed that one highly reduced PKS (HR-PKS, AN1034.3) and one nonreduced PKS (NR-PKS, AN1036.3) are located next to each other in the genome. Since no known A. nidulans secondary metabolites could be produced by two PKS enzymes, we hypothesized that this cryptic gene cluster produces an unknown natural product. Indeed after numerous attempts we found that the products from this cluster could not be detected under normal laboratory culture conditions in wild type strains. Closer examination of the gene cluster revealed a gene with high homology to a citrinin biosynthesis transcriptional activator (CtnR, 32% identity/47% similarity), a fungal transcription activator located next to the two PKSs. We replaced the promoter of the transcription activator with the inducible alcA promoter, which enabled the production of a novel polyketide that we have named asperfuranone. A series of gene deletions has allowed us to confirm that the two PKSs together with five additional genes comprise the asperfuranone biosynthetic pathway and leads us to propose a biosynthetic pathway for asperfuranone. Our results confirm and substantiate the potential to discover novel compounds even from a well-studied fungus by using a genomic mining approach.
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