Method for producing terpenes
The present invention concerns a method for producing terpenes in fungi comprising the steps of (a) providing a modified terpene biosynthetic gene cluster inside a host cell, wherein one or more of the naturally occurring genes or promoters of the cluster have been replaced, truncated or removed, (b) providing a transcription factor inside the host cell, the transcription factor activating the terpene biosynthetic gene cluster; (c) cultivating said host in conditions allowing the expression of the transcription factor activating the cluster; and optionally (d) recovering the thus produced terpene product.
1. Method for producing terpenes in Aspergillus nidulans , comprising the steps of:
providing a genetically modified Aspergillus nidulans host comprising a modified terpene biosynthetic gene cluster comprising nucleic acids encoding a termpene synthase comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 47, a HMG-CoA reductase comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 46, and a GGPP-synthase comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 45,
overexpressing a nucleic acid encoding a transcription factor comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52, where said genetically modified Aspergillus nidulans host has improved terpene production compared to an untransformed wild type Aspergillus nidulans host,
cultivating said host in conditions allowing the expression of the transcription factor activating the terpene biosynthetic gene cluster, and
recovering the produced terpene product.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein terpene is selected from: terpenoid, γ-terpinene, limonene, cymene, cineol, α-farnesene, amorphadiene, cadinene, a caryophyllene, a bisabolene, a taxadiene, a kaurene, a fusicoccadiene, a casbene, or an abietadiene.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host cell carries the terpene biosynthetic gene cluster having terpene biosynthetic genes.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the terpene biosynthetic gene cluster having terpene biosynthetic genes is transformed to a host cell.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a gene encoding a transporter protein is included to the production host.