Comprehensive cloning and expression analysis of glycolytic genes from the filamentous fungus, Aspergillus oryzae

We cloned all the glycolytic genes from Aspergillus oryzae and analyzed their transcriptional regulation by the carbon source in the medium. The deduced amino-acid sequences of the glycolytic genes showed high identity (approximately 41–93%) to those from other lower eukaryotes. Genomic Southern hybridization indicated that all the genes existed as a single copy in the genome. Comparison of mRNA levels between mycelia grown on glucose and on pyruvate showed that most of the A. oryzae glycolytic genes were induced by glucose in the medium. The overall expression profiles of the A. oryzae glycolytic genes resembled those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The expression of one of the phosphofructokinase genes (pfkB), however, was repressed by glucose while both PFK1 and PFK2 were induced in S. cerevisiae. These findings indicate that further analysis of the transcriptional regulation of the A. oryzae glycolytic genes will be useful for investigating the evolutionary change of transcription regulation in lower eukaryotes and to construct promoters for industrial applications.