Direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol by engineered filamentous fungi

Abstract

The use of mutations and transgenes to increase the production of ethanol by the aerobic cellulolytic fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, have been investigated. A nidulans was shown to produce ethanol under anaerobic conditions, and mutations in genes required for ethanol consumption allowed ethanol production under aerobic conditions. Other mutations were also found to increase ethanol production, as was the introduction of extra copies of the A. nidulans genes involved in ethanol production to produce multicopy transgenic strains. Mutations in several genes that lead to deregulation of glucose repression in A. nidulans were found to increase the production of exo-cellulases.