The time courses for production of fungal biomass, lipid, phenolic and arachidonic acid (ARA) as well as expression of the genes involved in biosynthesis of ARA and lipid were examined in Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68. A significant increase in the arachidonic acid content in lipids that coincided with reduced levels of lipid was obtained. Reduced gene expression occurred presumably due to the ...

We have isolated a novel gene (GLELO) from Mortierella alpina and its homologue (CEELO1) from Caenorhabditis elegans and demonstrate the involvement of their encoded proteins in the elongation of C(18) polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Arachidonic acid is an essential fatty acid in human nutrition. In the present study, production of arachidonic acid by Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68 was evaluated in submerged fermentation. The fermentation variables were selected in accordance with the PlackettBurman (PB) design and further optimized via response surface methodology (RSM). Five significant variables, namely glucose, yeast ext...

The filamentous fungus, Mortierella alpina, accumulates complex lipids relatively rich in arachidonic acid (C(20:4) Delta(5,8,11,14)). The lignan, sesamin, has been used to reduce arachidonic acid production by specifically inhibiting Delta(5)-desaturation [Shimizu, Akimoto, Shinmen, Kawashima, Sugano and Yamada (1991) Lipids 26, 512-516]. Microsomal membrane preparations from M. alpina exhibit...

Fungi isolated from environmentally challenging habitats can have adaptations of potential value when developed as insect pest-controls. Fungal isolates collected from Antarctica, Geomyces sp. I, Geomyces sp. II, Mortierella signyensis and M. alpina, were investigated for (i) growth characteristics at 0-35°C, (ii) spore production at 10 and 20°C, (iii) viability following exposure to freezing t...

The oil-producing zygomycete Mortierella alpina 1S-4 is known to accumulate beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids. We identified the lig4 gene that encodes for a DNA ligase 4 homolog, which functions to repair double strand breaks by non-homologous end joining. We disrupted the lig4 gene to improve the gene targeting efficiency in M. alpina. The M. alpina 1S-4 Δlig4 strains showed no defect in...

filamentous fungus, is one of several industrial strains known for the production of arachidonic acid. It is also of particular interest for hydrocarbon biofuel production since it is able to produce up to 50% of its mass in rich, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA’s]. M. alpina already has mechanisms for accumulating significant concentrations of hydrocarbon compounds, making it a na...

BACKGROUND Fungal morphology and aeration play a significant role in the growth process of Mortierella alpina. The production of microbial oil rich in arachidonic acid (ARA) in M. alpina was enhanced by using a multi-stage fermentation strategy which combined fed-batch culture with precise control of aeration and agitation rates at proper times. RESULTS The fermentation period was divided int...

Biological residues in soil dust are a potentially strong source of atmospheric ice nuclei (IN). So far, however, the abundance, diversity, sources, seasonality, and role of biological – in particular, fungal – IN in soil dust have not been characterized. By analysis of the culturable fungi in topsoils, from a range of different land use and ecosystem types in southeast Wyoming, we found ice-nu...