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In silico analyses of several laccase promoter sequences have shown the presence of many different responsive elements differentially distributed along the promoter sequences. Analysis of Pleurotus ostreatus laccase promoter poxa1b extending around 1400-bp upstream of the start codon showed the presence of several putative response elements, such as 10 metal-responsive elements. Development of a system for in vivo analysis of P. ostreatus laccase promoter poxa1b by enhanced green fluorescent protein expression was carried out, based on a polyethylene glycol-mediated procedure for fungal transformation. Quantitative measurement of fluorescence expressed in P. ostreatus transformants grown in the presence and in the absence of copper sulfate was performed, demonstrating an increase in expression level induced by the metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A white-rot basidiomycete Ganoderma lucidum has long been used as a medicinal mushroom in Asia, and it has an array of enzymes important for wood degrading activity. There have been many reports about the ingredients which show health aiding effects. In order to analyze gene functions and introduce foreign genes into this fungus, genetic transformation is required. We have successfully transformed G. lucidum to geneticin resistance using pJS205-1 which has the antibiotic resistance genes against geneticin and phosphinothricin. Many different mutants have been generated during the transformation by restriction enzyme mediated integration, and the transformation yield was 4–17 transformants (μg plasmid DNA)−1. The plasmid was integrated stably into the recipient chromosome, which was confirmed by PCR with the plasmid-specific primers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The recently reported red fluorescent protein DsRed from the reef coral Discosoma sp. represents a new marker that has been codon-optimized for high expression in mammalian cells. To facilitate expression of DsRed in ascomycete fungi, we used the clone pDsRed-Express (Clontech) for constructing a plasmid vector, pPgpd-DsRed, containing the constitutive Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (gpd) promoter. This vector was used for co-transformation of Penicillium paxilli, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma virens (syn. Gliocladium virens) together with either pAN7-1 or gGFP, both containing a gene for hygromycin resistance for transformant selection. In addition, gGFP contains a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene for expression in Ascomycetes. Expression of DsRed-Express was obtained in all three fungi, indicating that DsRed can be used as a highly effective vital marker in Ascomycetes. Dual marked transformants expressed both DsRed-Express and GFP in the same mycelium and were used for non-quantitative comparison of the intensity of the fluorescence using confocal laser scanning microscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]