Abstract:
Filamentous fungi are well-known sources of several small molecules (derived from secondary metabolism) that range from beneficial antibiotics to harmful mycotoxins. Among such fungi, Aspergillus niger (Generally Recognized as Safe) is one of the most widespread food and feed contaminant along with the most important workhorse being used by the biotechnological industry for various applications. According to the latest studies, one of the frequently used fungi in industry i.e, Aspergillus nigeris reported as a producer of mycotoxins mainly Fumonisins and Ochratoxins. These mycotoxins are posing severe health hazards and economic risks worldwide, especially in foods and feeds. Separate gene clusters are involved in the biosynthesis of Fumonisins (B2, B4 and B6) and Ochratoxins (A, B and C). Therefore, it is difficult to generate mycotoxin free Aspergillus niger strain by traditional strain improvement methods. Recently, CRISPR-Cas9, a powerful genome editing tool, is creating a buzz in the scientific community by changing a genome. It is faster, cheaper, and more accurate than previous techniques of editing the genome. It has a wide range of potential applications in various organisms including bacteria, yeasts, molds, plants, and humans. In the current study, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been used to inhibit the biosynthesis of fumonisins by targeting itstranscriptional factor in A. niger, making it non-mycotoxigenic strain. Cas9 based vector consisting of codon optimized Cas9 gene for A. nigerwas used. The protoplasts of A. niger were transformed with gene-motif specific gRNA. The resultantA. niger mutant strain was unable to produce fumonisins, confirming the key role of targeted gene in fumonisin biosynthesis. Such nonmycotoxigenic strains ofAspergillus niger can be used to replace the mycotoxigenic strains of Aspergillus niger for industrial applications. Moreover, these can be used in industry as a potential protein source of good nutritive value for animals and poultry feed supplementation.
Page(s):
96-96
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on International Conference on Food and Applied Sciences (ICFAS-23) 3-5 August 23, Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023
Keywords:
Aspergillus niger
,
CRISPRCas9
,
genome editing
,
Nonmycotoxigenic
,
Fumonisins