Wang Lihong, Tian Xueqin, Xue Pinghong, Deng Yunhong, Gao Rui, Hu Zhihong
College of Life Science, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, China.
Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Natural Microbial Medicine Research, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, China.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025 Jun 10;109(1):143. doi: 10.1007/s00253-025-13505-2.
Ergothioneine (EGT) is a rare amino acid with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with a wide range of applications in food, cosmetics, and medicine. In the present study, Aspergillus oryzae, a common edible fungus, was engineered as an optimal host for EGT production. Moreover, two endogenous genes involved in EGT biosynthesis were characterized. The homolog AoEgt1 was shown to be localized in the vacuoles, whereas the homolog AoEgt2 was found in the peroxisomes. Overexpression of EGT biosynthetic genes from different organisms enhanced EGT production, yielding 15.17 mg EGT/g of dry weight. Using glucose as the carbon source and supplementing methionine (Met) as a precursor further increased EGT production to 20.03 mg EGT/g of dry weight, constituting an eight-fold increase compared to the wild-type strain. This study discusses the successful construction of a high-yielding A. oryzae strain for EGT biosynthesis, providing a novel strategy for efficient EGT synthesis. KEY POINTS: • Two newly described homologs, AoEgt1 and AoEgt2, were identified in A. oryzae. • AoEgt1 and AoEgt2 were found to contribute to EGT biosynthesis. • EGT production was significantly increased by overexpression of Egt1 and Egt2. • Glucose and Met supplementation in the medium increased EGT production.
麦角硫因（EGT）是一种稀有的氨基酸，具有强大的抗氧化和抗炎特性，在食品、化妆品和医学领域有广泛应用。在本研究中，常见食用菌米曲霉被改造为生产EGT的最佳宿主。此外，还对参与EGT生物合成的两个内源基因进行了表征。同源基因AoEgt1定位于液泡中，而同源基因AoEgt2存在于过氧化物酶体中。来自不同生物体的EGT生物合成基因的过表达提高了EGT产量，每克干重可产生15.17毫克EGT。以葡萄糖作为碳源并添加甲硫氨酸（Met）作为前体，进一步将EGT产量提高到每克干重20.03毫克，与野生型菌株相比增加了八倍。本研究讨论了用于EGT生物合成的高产米曲霉菌株的成功构建，为高效合成EGT提供了一种新策略。要点：• 在米曲霉中鉴定出两个新描述的同源基因AoEgt1和AoEgt2。• 发现AoEgt1和AoEgt2有助于EGT生物合成。• Egt1和Egt2的过表达显著提高了EGT产量。• 培养基中添加葡萄糖和Met增加了EGT产量。
