Omics Approaches Applied to Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillin Production: Revealing the Secrets of Improved Productivity

Abstract

Penicillin biosynthesis by Penicillium chrysogenum is one of the best-characterized biological processes from the genetic, molecular, biochemical, and subcellular points of view. Several omics studies have been carried out in this filamentous fungus during the last decade, which have contributed to gathering a deep knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying improved productivity in industrial strains. The information provided by these studies is extremely useful for enhancing the production of penicillin or other bioactive secondary metabolites by means of Biotechnology or Synthetic Biology.

Antitussive, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Septum Extract Rich in Bioactive Compounds

“…Famous examples are aspirin, a product derived from salicylic acid, present in the bark of several species of genus Salix [ 2 ], codeine, a naturally occurring alkaloid found in plants of Papaver spp. [ 3 ], quinine, a component of the bark of trees in the genus Cinchona [ 4 ], or penicillin, the first antibiotic compound isolated from the fungus Penicillium [ 5 ]. The isolation and use of bioactive compounds from natural products can mitigate the high cost of chemical synthetic drugs in the development of new medications.…”

Chemical, microbial, and metabolic analysis of Taisui cultured in honey solution

“…Fortunately, these fungi are relatively safe because they are widely present in traditional foods. In addition, there are some commonly used industrial species in acTS, such as Mortierella for n ‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acids production, Pichia for protein, Chaetomium for cellulase, and Penicillium for penicillin (Ahmad et al., 2014; García‐Estrada et al., 2020; Ho et al., 2007; Sun et al., 2019). The safeness of some genera of fungi in acTS is still undefined.…”

Penicillium chrysogenum, a Vintage Model with a Cutting-Edge Profile in Biotechnology

“…In addition, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies have been performed trying to elucidate the metabolic changes underwent by industrial strains that led to the high productivity they possess [ 20 , 21 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Some recent reviews summarize and make a comprehensive account of the main results obtained in these studies [ 25 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

“…Amplification of the penicillin gene cluster, chromosomal rearrangement involving regions with presence of penicillin-related genes, and point mutations in genes involved in global regulation (Velvet complex) and secondary metabolite pathways are the main genetic changes found in high-producing strains detected by genetic and genomic analysis. Other OMICs methodologies, such as proteomics and transcriptomics, allow more functional approaches to elucidate how the metabolism and other cellular processes have been affected during CSI programs to increase penicillin productivity (reviewed in [ 25 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]). As a quick summary, we can mention that, in high-producing strains, there is an upregulation of proteins involved in synthesis of NADPH and cysteine as well as in ATP-producing carbon catabolism, the three compounds having proven essential for high levels of penicillin production [ 61 , 62 ].…”