Tohoku University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Katsuya Gomi's research lab specializes in molecular mycology and fungal biotechnology, focusing on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying industrial enzyme production and antifungal drug resistance in filamentous fungi, particularly *Aspergillus oryzae* and *Aspergillus fumigatus*. The lab investigates transcriptional regulation of key metabolic pathways, including amylolytic and ergosterol biosynthesis genes, using functional genomics and molecular genetics approaches. A central theme is understanding how transcription factors such as AmyR, MalR, FlbC, and AtrR control gene expression in response to environmental cues and stress, with applications in improving industrial fermentation and combating antifungal resistance. The lab also explores fungal transformation and gene integration mechanisms to support genetic manipulation of industrially relevant fungi.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The transformation of Aspergillus oryzae has been achieved with a plasmid carrying the Aspergillus nidulans argB gene coding for ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCTase). The frequency of transformation was relatively low (0.7 transformants/μg DNA) but the transformed phenotype was extremely stable for many generations without selective pressure. Southern blot analysis revealed that transformation had occurred by integration of multiple tandem copies of plasmid DNA into the host genome through no
Successful treatment of aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus is threatened by an increasing incidence of drug resistance. This situation is further complicated by the finding that strains resistant to azoles, the major antifungal drugs for aspergillosis, have been widely disseminated across the globe. To elucidate mechanisms underlying azole resistance, we identified a novel transcription factor that is required for normal azole resistance in Aspergillus fungi including A. fumigatus, As
A gene, designated amyR, coding for a transcriptional activator involved in amylolytic gene expression has been cloned from Aspergillus oryzae by screening for a clone that enabled to reverse the reduced expression of the alpha-amylase gene (amyB) promoter. amyR encodes 604 amino acid residues of a putative DNA-binding protein carrying a zinc binuclear cluster motif (Zn(II)2Cys6) belonging to the GAL4 family of transcription factors. The amyR gene disruptants showed a significant restricted grow
The koji mold <i>Aspergillus oryzae</i> has been used in traditional Japanese food and beverage fermentation for over a thousand years. Amylolytic enzymes are important in sake fermentation, wherein production is induced by starch or malto-oligosaccharides. This inducible production requires at least two transcription activators, AmyR and MalR. Among amylolytic enzymes, glucoamylase GlaB is produced exclusively in solid-state culture and plays a critical role in sake fermentation owing to its co
We have cloned a genomic DNA sequence encoding the acid protease (PEPA) from Aspergillus oryzae using a 0.6-kb fragment as a probe. This fragment was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using oligonucleotide primers designed from the partial amino acid sequences of peptide fragments of the purified protein. Nucleotide sequencing analysis has shown that the cloned gene (designated pepA) encodes 404 amino acid residues and contains 3 putative introns ranging in length from 50 to 61 nu
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