Aspergillus niger possesses many useful enzymes for breaking down plant cell walls to release sugars which can be fermented and distilled to biofuel or replace the chemical building blocks derived from petroleum.

Scott Baker, Department of Energy (DOE), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, and colleagues compared the genome sequences of two A. niger strains (ATCC 1015, CBS 513.88) to better harness its industrial potential. Several hundred unique genes were found in each strain. The wildtyp ATCC 1015 has a higher expression of traits involved in high citric acid yields whereas CBS 513.88, which has undergone induced mutagenesis and selection by DSM, has more elements related to efficient enzyme production.

The results will support further optimization of cell factories based on filamentous fungi like A. niger.

• Comparative genomics of citric-acid-producing Aspergillus niger ATCC 1015 versus enzyme-producing CBS 513.88,
  Mikael R. Andersen, Margarita P. Salazar, Peter J. Schaap et al.,
  Genome Res. 2011.
  DOI: 10.1101/gr.112169.110