DSM is publishing a paper in the February 2007 issue of the renowned
scientific journal “Nature Biotechnology” announcing the release of the DNA
sequence of the fungus Aspergillus niger. The article – which has 69
co-authors – is the result of a research project carried out by DSM in which
twenty-nine international research groups participated.
Rob van Leen, Chief Innovation Officer at DSM, commented: “DSM
realizes that the Aspergillus niger genome is of great interest to many other
parties, both in industry and the academic world. DSM is releasing the DNA
sequence to enable further research in this field. We are very pleased about
this publication, which fits perfectly in our open-innovation policy. The
Aspergillus niger research project is a foundation for our efforts in the area
of ‘white’ or industrial biotechnology – and that area is an important part of
the innovation boost in
DSM’s strategy Vision 2010 – Building on Strengths.”
Aspergillus niger is a micro-organism that DSM uses for the production of
enzymes and other compounds, such as citric acid. These are mainly used in
foodstuffs (bread, cheese, fruit juices, beer) to improve taste, shelf life,
texture, nutritional value, etc. At the beginning of this century, DSM started
work on the determination of the complete DNA sequence of Aspergillus niger
and the identification of the functions of the different genes. The research
grew into one of the most important industrial genomics projects in Europe,
and earned DSM a position among Europe’s leading biotechnology companies. The
project has resulted in a high-quality genome sequence of 33.9 million base
pairs with more than 14,000 unique genes. The (possible) functions of around
6500 of these genes could be established.
The genome sequencing forms part of a major genomics project. Dr Herman Pel,
Principal Scientist Genomics and Bioinformatics at DSM who coordinated the
execution of the sequencing project: “The unraveling of the DNA
sequence not only accelerates the development of new products, but also
enables us to study the highly complex physiological behavior of Aspergillus
niger with the help of the most advanced biological analysis techniques such
as DNA micro-array analysis, proteomics and bio-informatics and use the
insights gained to improve production processes.” Dr Hein Stam,
Principal Scientist Applied Genomics and Fermentation who coordinated the
publication of the genome: “Further research on Aspergillus niger could
help identify other possible uses of this micro-organism (such as in the
sustainable use of raw materials). With the functions of some 7500 genes still
unknown, scientific researchers have plenty of challenges to deal with in the
future.”
The Aspergillus niger genome project has resulted in numerous patent filings
by DSM and has laid the basis for a number of new DSM products such as
PeptoPro® (ingredient for muscular recovery after physical exertion), Brewers
ClarexTM (enzyme for preventing chill-haze in beers) and PreventASeTM (enzyme
for preventing the formation of the toxic compound acrylamide during baking or
frying of certain foodstuffs).
In addition, the project has resulted in a valuable scientific network. DSM’s
partners include Gene Alliance (a consortium of German companies involved in
the sequence analysis); Biomax (annotation, bio-informatics; Germany);
Affymetrix (DNA chips; USA); and the Micro Array Department (MAD) of the
University of Amsterdam (analysis of the DNA arrays). Some of the research
projects based on the genome were carried out as part of the research programs
of consortia such as the Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial
Fermentation in Delft (Netherlands) and a number of sub-projects were carried
out in collaboration with various universities, knowledge institutes and
companies.
