The critical role of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity in cephalosporin C biosynthesis of Acremonium chrysogenum

The filamentous fungus Acremonium chrysogenum is the main industrial producer of cephalosporin C (CPC), one of the major precursors for manufacturing of cephalosporin antibiotics. The plasma membrane H + -ATPase (PMA) plays a key role in numerous fungal physiological processes. Previously we observed a decrease of PMA activity in A . chrysogenum overproducing strain RNCM 408D (HY) as compared to the level the wild-type strain A . chrysogenum ATCC 11550. Here we report the relationship between PMA activity and CPC biosynthesis in A . chrysogenum strains. The elevation of PMA activity in HY strain through overexpression of PMA1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae , under the control of the constitutive gpdA promoter from Aspergillus nidulans , results in a 1.2 to 10-fold decrease in CPC production, shift in beta-lactam intermediates content, and is accompanied by the decrease in cef genes expression in the fermentation process; the characteristic colony morphology on agar media is also changed. The level of PMA activity in A . chrysogenum HY OE :: PMA1 strains has been increased by 50–100%, up to the level observed in WT strain, and was interrelated with ATP consumption; the more PMA activity is elevated, the more ATP level is depleted. The reduced PMA activity in A . chrysogenum HY strain may be one of the selected events during classical strain improvement, aimed at elevating the ATP content available for CPC production.