• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.411-415
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• 1995

The dextranase (EC 3.2.1.11) produced by Aspergillus ustus GR-98 was purified by the following sequential methods; salting-out and dialysis, gel filtration on BIO-GEL P-100, ion exchange chromatography on DEAH-cellulose, affinity chromatography on hydroxyapatite, and preparative electrophoresis. Three active fractions, dextranases 1, 11 and 111, were isolated in electrophoretically pure states, and specific activities of the dextranases were 1,276, 1,154 and 1,125 units/mg, the degrees of yield were 9.0, 3.6 and 2.2%, having 145, 131.1 and 127.8 times as those of culture filtrate in degree of purification, respectively. The enzyme purity was confirmed by the PAGE, SDS-PAGE and get permeation-HPLC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.686-696
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• 2011

To deal with pathogens, plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms including constitutive and induced defense mechanisms. Phytohormones play important roles in plant growth and development, as well as in the systemic response induced by beneficial and pathogen microorganisms. In this work, we identified an Aspergillus ustus isolate that promotes growth and induces developmental changes in Solanum tuberosum and Arabidopsis thaliana. A. ustus inoculation on A. thaliana and S. tuberosum roots induced an increase in shoot and root growth, and lateral root and root hair numbers. Assays performed on Arabidopsis lines to measure reporter gene expression of auxin-induced/ repressed or cell cycle controlled genes (DR5 and CycB1, respectively) showed enhanced GUS activity, when compared with mock-inoculated seedlings. To determine the contribution of phytohormone signaling pathways in the effect elicited by A. ustus, we evaluated the response of a collection of hormone mutants of Arabidopsis defective in auxin, ethylene, cytokinin, or abscisic acid signaling to the inoculation with this fungus. All mutant lines inoculated with A. ustus showed increased biomass production, suggesting that these genes are not required to respond to this fungus. Moreover, we demonstrated that A. ustus synthesizes auxins and gibberellins in liquid cultures. In addition, A. ustus induced systemic resistance against the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea and the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae DC3000, probably through the induction of the expression of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid/ethylene, and camalexin defense-related genes in Arabidopsis.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 1983

Aspergillus ustus was cultured in the salts media contained dextran (2%). Then the cultured liquid media were filtrated and concentrated up to 10 folds by evaporation, and then purified by means of acetone precipitation, of a repeated chromatography on the columns of DEAE-Ccellulose, Biogel P-150, and Sephadex G-200. Total proteins in the initial culture filtrate were 38,500mg, but the final amounts of proteins were 172mg. The specific activity of the protein in the culture filtrate was $1,340\;{\mu}moles$ products per minute per mg protein, but the final specific activity of the protein was $2,448\;{\mu}\;moles$ products per minute per mg protein. The final yields remained about 30% of the initial.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 1983

Exodextranase from Aspergillus ustus was purified by chromatography and characterized by various conditions. The optimal pH of the purified dextranase was 6.5 and this enzyme was maximally activated at $40^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable at the temperature below $50^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was markedly inactivated by $Hg^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},\;KCN\;and\;Co^{2+},\;but\;Ba^{2+},\;Fe^{2+},$ cysteine, EDTA, and ascorbic acid enhanced the activity of the enzyme. The main products from the hydrolysis of dextran incubated with the dextranase were glucose, isomaltotriose and oligosaccharide. When dextran was incubated with the mixture of pullulanase and ${\alpha}-amylase$, it was hydrolyzed into glucose, isomaltose and oligosaccharide. Polysaccharides in the decade teeth powder were hydrolyzed by the dextranase into glucose, isomaltotriose and oligosaccharides. In the hydrolysis of the teeth powder with the mixture of dextranase, pullulanase and ${\alpha}-amylase$, were proved to be similar to the dextran hydrolysates.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.188-192
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• 1980

In search of dextran-hydrolyzing enzymes, approximately 500 strains of molds were checked for their ability to produce extracellular dextranase. Seven strains capable of producing dextranase were screened, and among them, one strain belonging to Aspergillus genus showed greater activity than the other. The strain was identified to be Aspergillus ustus and the most suitable culture conditions for the enzyme production were determined.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 1995

In order to screen dextranase with high dextranolytic activity from microbial origins, dextranase producing fungal isolates were isolated from soil of the Taeion area. 197 strains with dextranolytic activities were isolated, out of which 3 strains with high dextranolytic activities were selected in the first screening. A strain (GR-98) with a best dextranolytic activity was selected in the second screening. The strain was identified to be similiar Aspergillus ustus by the morphological and cultural characteristics. The optimum culture temperature and initial pH for the dextranase production of the strain was 30$\circ$C and 7.0, respectively. The optimum culture medium was composed of 2% dextran, 0.3% KNO$_{3}$, 0.05% K$_{2}$HPO$_{4}$, 0.02% MgSO$_{4}$-7H$_{2}$O, 0.05% KC1, and 2.5 $\mu$g/ml pyridoxamine, and the enzyme production was maximum when the strain was subcultured at 30$\circ$C for 7 days.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2005

Seventy-three fungal species belonging to forty-three genera were isolated from 40 samples of Saccharrum officinarum (collected from Naage-Hamadi canal in Qena Governorate, Egypt). Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Mucor and Pythium were the most common genera on the two isolation media. The dominant species of Aspergillus were A. niger, A. flavus, A. ustus, A. terreus and A. wentii. Some species were dominant on 40 g/l sucrose such as Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Emericella nidulans, Trichoderma viride, Torula herbarum and Mamaria echinoeotryoides, while the dominant species on 10 g/l glucose were Mucor circinelloides, Aspergillus niger, Torula herbarum and Trichoderma viride. Mycotoxins including aflatoxins $B_1,\;B_2,\;G_1\;and\;G_2$, zearalenone and diacetoxyscirpenol were detected in the examined samples of Saccharrum officinarum. The mycelial growth of A. flavus, A. niger, Fusarium moniliforme and Torula herbarum decreased with the increase in Dimethoate concentrations, although 25 ppm was less effective than the higher levels of the insecticide ($75{\sim}200\;ppm$). Dimethoate stimulated the activity of Go-Tin A. niger, F. moniliforme and T. harbarum, while the Go-T activity was inhibited in A. flavus with the Dimethoate treatments.