Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022 May 21. Epub 2022 May 21.

Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.

Fungi are a rich source of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. Co-culturing a fungus with another microorganism has drawn much attention as a practical method for stimulating fungal secondary metabolism. However, in most cases, the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of secondary metabolite production in co-culture are poorly understood. Read More

Chembiochem 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie eV Hans-Knöll-Institut, Biobricks of Microbial Natural Product Syntheses, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 23, 07745, Jena, GERMANY.

Drimane-type sesquiterpenes are a class of compounds produced by a wide range of organisms, initially isolated and characterized in plants. Meanwhile, in the past 20-30 years, a large number of novel structures from many divergent fungi have been elucidated. Recently, the biosynthesis of drimane-type sesquiter-penes and their esters has been explained in two filamentous fungi, namely Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus calidoustus, disclosing the basic biosynthetic principles needed to identify similar pathways in the fungal kingdom. Read More

Front Microbiol 2022 26;13:900876. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.

The present study evaluated the fungal contamination of ready-to-eat dried hazelnuts considering for the first time the application of the same condition drying process of several hazelnut cultivars from different boreal hemisphere areas. Fifty lots of hazelnuts (), belonging to eight cultivars from seven regions in four countries, were analyzed for fungal microbiota, describing both load levels and species diversity. For this purpose, a polyphasic approach consisting of morphological examination (optical and scanning electron microscope observation) and molecular characterization [PCR-DGGE analysis and sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)] was performed. Read More

Front Nutr 2022 25;9:847156. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystem, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of feeding different amounts of culture (AOC) on the degradation rate of various feeds for 24 h, rumen fermentation parameters, microbial community, and blood cell composition of sheep. Sixteen castrated and fattening adult sheep with permanent rumen fistula were randomly divided into four groups (four sheep per group) based on body weight (64.62 ± 5. Read More

J Proteome Res 2022 May 10. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea.

Glycoproteins have many important biological functions. In particular, aberrant glycosylation has been observed in various cancers, such as liver cancer. A well-known glycoprotein biomarker is α-fetoprotein (AFP), a surveillance biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that contains a glycosylation site at asparagine 251. Read More

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022 May 10. Epub 2022 May 10.

National Research Institute of Brewing, 3-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-0046, Japan.

Urethanase (EC 3.5.1. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2489:23-39

School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

A suite of molecular techniques have been developed in recent decades, which allow gene clusters coding for the biosynthesis of fungal natural products to be investigated and characterized in great detail. Many of these involve the manipulation of the native producer, for example, to increase yields of natural products or investigate the biosynthetic pathway through gene disruptions. However, an alternative and powerful means of investigating biosynthetic pathways, which does not rely on a cooperative native host, is the refactoring and heterologous expression of pathways in a suitable host strain. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2022 May 5;70(19):5869-5878. Epub 2022 May 5.

School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China.

Soy sauce secondary precipitate formed due to the B subunit seriously affects soy sauce's appearance quality. In this study, a prolyl endopeptidase (APE) from , which could degrade approximately 50% of the B subunit and increase proline content by 24% in soy sauce, was isolated and identified. The results showed that APE was an acidic salt-tolerant serine protease (62 kDa), which was optimally active at 40 °C and pH 4. Read More

Free Radic Biol Med 2022 Apr 27;185:76-89. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

KM Convergence Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

The airway epithelium maintains tight barrier integrity to prevent penetration of pathogens; thus, impairment of the barrier function is an important and common histological feature in asthmatic patients. Proteolytic allergens from fungi, pollen, and house dust mites can disrupt epithelial barrier integrity, but the mechanism remains unclear. Aspergillus oryzae protease (AP)-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to the epithelial inflammatory response. Read More

RSC Adv 2021 Jul 26;11(41):25639-25645. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University Guangzhou 510642 China

Foodborne microbial infestation seriously threatens food security, and the development of low-risk food preservatives is highly needed in food production. For discovering novel flavor molecules with antiseptic function, novel 2-methyl-3-furyl sulfide flavor derivatives were synthesized and evaluated. A wide range of 2-methyl-3-furyl sulfide derivatives were synthesized by reactions of 2-methyl-3-furyl disulfide with cyclic ethers, amides, ketones, and epoxides. Read More

Microbiologyopen 2022 Apr;11(2):e1280

Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.

In most countries, genetically modified microorganisms are not approved for use for fermentation in the food industry. Therefore, random mutagenesis and subsequent screening are performed to improve the productivities of valuable metabolites and enzymes as well as other specific functions in an industrial microbial strain. In addition, targeted gene knockout is performed by genetic recombination using its enzyme genes as selectable markers to maintain self-cloning status. Read More

J Dairy Sci 2022 Jun 22;105(6):4868-4881. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Food Research Institute, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-12, Kan-nondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8642, Japan.

More than 2,000 varieties of cheese currently exist in the world, and cheese manufacture continues to flourish. To develop the cheese ripening process, additional ingredients are used during cheese production. In this study, the effect of sake lees as an additional ingredient on the fermentation of cheese using Aspergillus oryzae (koji mold), known as koji cheese, was investigated. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2022 07 15;434:128932. Epub 2022 Apr 15.

School of Resources & Environmental Science, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy, Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass-Resources Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, PR China. Electronic address:

Both sulfonamides (SAs) and copper (Cu(II)) were frequently detected together in swine wastewater. In this study, the regulation of Cu(II) on SAs adsorption and release of dissolved organic matters (DOMs) by fungi-microalgae pellets (FM-pellets) were investigated. Aspergillus oryzae pellets were prepared for combination with Chlorella vulgaris and the optimal conditions were at agitation speed of 130 rpm, fungi to microalgae ratio of 10:1 and the combined time of 3 h with the highest combination efficiency of 98. Read More

BMC Microbiol 2022 04 22;22(1):110. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Division of Metabolism and Biosystemic Science, Gastroenterology, and Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan.

Background: Several microorganisms inhabit the mammalian gastrointestinal tract and are associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancer. Recent studies have indicated that several probiotics produce antitumor molecules and inhibit host tumor progression. We demonstrated that heptelidic acid (HA), a sesquiterpene lactone derived from the probiotic Aspergillus oryzae, exerts antitumor effects against pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo. Read More

J Dairy Sci 2022 Jun 18;105(6):4772-4782. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

β-Galactosidase (lacA) from Aspergillus oryzae is widely used in the dairy industry. Its acidic pH optimum and severe product inhibition limit its application for lactose hydrolysis in milk. In the present study, structure-based sequence alignment was conducted to determine the candidate mutations to shift the pH optimum of lacA to the neutral range. Read More

J Fungi (Basel) 2022 Mar 30;8(4). Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Mucormycosis (a.k.a. Read More

Insects 2022 Apr 13;13(4). Epub 2022 Apr 13.

Department of Integrative Biological Sciences and Industry, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea.

Here, we aimed to produce a natural food preservative using a crude extract from edible, immunized larvae (iTME), injected with edible bacteria using an edible solvent. Results showed that iTME had concentration-dependent inhibitory activity against food-poisoning bacteria , , and , as well as against harmful fungi , , and . Moreover, iTME showed antimicrobial activity against beneficial microorganisms and , but not . Read More

Int J Food Microbiol 2022 Apr 11;372:109677. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125001, India. Electronic address:

Worldwide, fungal contamination of water resources has become a major threat to both human health and the environment. The adaptation of nanotechnology in conventional water processes is significant to offer new breakthroughs in water treatment, especially fungal contaminants. Chitosan conjugated metal oxide nanoparticles can affect the antimicrobial properties of cellulosic foam. Read More

Org Lett 2022 04 20;24(16):3069-3074. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.

Fungal cytochrome P450 enzymes have been shown to catalyze regio- and stereoselective oxidative intermolecular phenol coupling. However, an enzyme capable of catalyzing undirected - (C4-4') coupling has not been reported. Here, we revealed the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of phomoxanthone A from the marine fungus sp. Read More

J Biosci Bioeng 2022 Apr 16. Epub 2022 Apr 16.

Industrial Technology Center of Okayama Prefecture, 5301 Haga, Kita-ku, Okayama 701-1296, Japan.

The quality of rice koji greatly affects the quality of sake. To accurately evaluate the quality of rice koji, various approaches for the evaluation of rice koji are required. In this study, we directly and simultaneously visualized the distribution of polypeptides in rice koji using mass spectrometry imaging. Read More

Biotechnol Biofuels Bioprod 2022 Feb 17;15(1):18. Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences 2-Technical Biology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Background: The pyrolytic aqueous condensate (PAC) formed during the fast pyrolysis of wheat straw contains a variety of organic carbons and might therefore potentially serve as an inexpensive substrate for microbial growth. One of its main components is acetic acid, which was recently shown to be a suitable carbon source for the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. However, the condensate also contains numerous toxic compounds that inhibit fungal growth and result in a tolerance of only about 1%. Read More

Food Chem (Oxf) 2022 Jul 10;4:100063. Epub 2021 Dec 10.

Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, Nagoya, Aichi 468-8502, Japan.

, a filamentous fungus, has long been used for the production of traditional Japanese foods. Here, we analyzed how administration affects the intestinal environment in mice. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the gut microbiota indicated that after the administration of heat-killed spores, the relative abundance of an anti-inflammatory strain became 2. Read More

J Gen Appl Microbiol 2022 Apr 2. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

National Research Institute of Brewing.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2022 Apr 2. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt.

Endophytes fungi are applied as favorable safe antifungal agents as well as natural bioactive compounds reservoir. In the current study, the inhibitory effect of endophytic fungus was explained by direct antifungal activity against fungi causing mucormycosis, ultrastructural, and determination of active compounds in fungal extract. Endophytic Aspergillus terreus was isolated from healthy Moringa oleifera leaves and identified morphologically and genetically, and was recorded in gene bank with accession number MW444551. Read More

Breast Cancer (Auckl) 2022 25;16:11782234221086728. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Health and Radiation Research, National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt.

Quercetin is a potent cancer therapeutic agent present in fruits and vegetables. The pharmaceutical uses of quercetin are limited due to many problems associated with low solubility, bioavailability, permeability, and instability. In addition, the high doses of quercetin show toxic effects in clinical and experimental studies. Read More

Life (Basel) 2022 Mar 18;12(3). Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Department of Botany, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810107, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Cytochrome P450s (P450ome) constitute an extended superfamily group of heme-thiolate enzymes identified in all biological domains. P450omes play a critical role in the oxidation of steroids and fatty acids, xenobiotic degradation of hydrophobic compounds, biosynthesis of hormones, and primary and secondary metabolism in organisms. species are among the most economically important fungal organisms in human medicine, industry, and agriculture worldwide. Read More

Metabolites 2022 Feb 23;12(3). Epub 2022 Feb 23.

Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore.

Okara is a major by-product of soymilk and tofu production. Despite retaining abundant nutrients after the process, okara is often under-utilized. In this study, solid-state fermentation (SSF) of okara was carried out using a koji starter (containing both and ) with the intention of releasing its untapped nutrients. Read More

J Mycol Med 2022 Mar 9;32(3):101274. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address:

Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae, two species of Aspergillus section Flavi, are of utmost significance in health, medicine, biotechnology, and foods industries. The methods currently used in mycology for the discrimination of these two closely related species were unable to definitively and rapidly distinguish. The present study aimed to develop a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) test based on the cyp51A gene to discriminate between A. Read More

J Biosci Bioeng 2022 Mar 18. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering, Yamagata University, Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan. Electronic address:

Agl-KA, an α-1,3-glucan-hydrolyzing enzyme from Bacillus circulans KA-304, has three α-1,3-glucan-binding domains DS1, CB6, and DS2 (DCD). While their individual binding activities toward insoluble α-1,3-glucan and fungal cell-wall are weak, the three domains in combination bind strongly to the α-1,3-glucan and the cell-wall. In this study, we constructed DCD-tetraRFP by fusing DCD with DsRed-Express2, a tetrameric red fluorescent protein. Read More

Food Chem 2022 Aug 11;385:132689. Epub 2022 Mar 11.

College of Food Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China. Electronic address:

Coacervation of the lipase from Aspergillus oryzae (AOL) with chitosan was a feasible way to fabricate lipase-loaded particles and the optimum conditions were phase separation pH 5.5, chitosan to AOL mass ratio 1:5, and temperature 25 °C in the absence of NaCl, which conferred an AOL loading efficiency of up to 95.48% and activity recovery of 69. Read More