Aspergillus niger is used in industry for the production of enzymes for biomass degradation and other applications. It is also a useful host for expressing glycoside hydrolase (GH) genes from bacteria that have valuable properties. However, researchers do not fully understand the factors that provide high titer production of heterologous enzymes in fungal hosts. The researchers hypothesize that glycosylation, or the process by which sugars are chemically attached to proteins, is beneficial for expressing non-fungal proteins when the glycosylation sites are placed correctly. To test this hypothesis, synthesized prokaryotic glycoside hydrolase genes will be expressed in A. niger. The long-term objective of this project is to assist in developing a fungal protein expression system for production of glycoside hydrolases with improved properties for the deconstruction of plant biomass to sugars.
Proposer’s Name: Jon Magnuson