Efficient degradation of tannic acid by black Aspergillus species

TY - JOUR

T1 - Efficient degradation of tannic acid by black Aspergillus species

AU - Van Diepeningen, Anne D

AU - Debets, Alfons J M

AU - Varga, Janos

AU - van der Gaag, Marijn

AU - Swart, Klaas

AU - Hoekstra, Rolf F

PY - 2004/8

Y1 - 2004/8

N2 - A set of aspergillus strains from culture collections and wild-type black aspergilli isolated on non-selective media were used to validate the use of media with 20% tannic acid for exclusive and complete selection of the black aspergilli. The 20% tannic acid medium proved useful for both quantitative and qualitative selection of all different black aspergilli, including all recognized species: A. carbonarius, A. japonicus, A. aculeatus, A foetidus, A. heteromorphus, A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. brasiliensis haplotypes. Even higher concentrations of tannic acid can be utilized by the black aspergilli suggesting a very efficient tannic acid-degrading system. Colour mutants show that the characteristic ability to grow on high tannic acid concentrations is not causally linked to the other typical feature of these aspergilli, i.e. the formation of brown-black pigments. Sequence analysis of the A. niger genome using the A. oryzae tannase gene yielded eleven tannase-like genes, far more than in related species. Therefore, a unique ecological niche in the degradation of tannic acid and connected nitrogen release seems to be reserved for these black-spored cosmopolitans.

AB - A set of aspergillus strains from culture collections and wild-type black aspergilli isolated on non-selective media were used to validate the use of media with 20% tannic acid for exclusive and complete selection of the black aspergilli. The 20% tannic acid medium proved useful for both quantitative and qualitative selection of all different black aspergilli, including all recognized species: A. carbonarius, A. japonicus, A. aculeatus, A foetidus, A. heteromorphus, A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. brasiliensis haplotypes. Even higher concentrations of tannic acid can be utilized by the black aspergilli suggesting a very efficient tannic acid-degrading system. Colour mutants show that the characteristic ability to grow on high tannic acid concentrations is not causally linked to the other typical feature of these aspergilli, i.e. the formation of brown-black pigments. Sequence analysis of the A. niger genome using the A. oryzae tannase gene yielded eleven tannase-like genes, far more than in related species. Therefore, a unique ecological niche in the degradation of tannic acid and connected nitrogen release seems to be reserved for these black-spored cosmopolitans.

KW - Aspergillus

KW - Aspergillus niger

KW - Aspergillus oryzae

KW - Biodegradation, Environmental

KW - Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases

KW - Culture Media

KW - DNA, Fungal

KW - DNA, Mitochondrial

KW - Genome, Fungal

KW - Hydrolyzable Tannins

KW - Mutation

KW - Phenotype

KW - Phylogeny

KW - Pigmentation

KW - Species Specificity

U2 - 10.1017/S0953756204000747

DO - 10.1017/S0953756204000747

M3 - Article

C2 - 15449597

SN - 0953-7562

VL - 108

SP - 919

EP - 925

JO - Mycological Research

JF - Mycological Research

IS - 8

ER -