title: Glass bead cultivation of fungi: combining the best of liquid and agar media.
abstract: Production of bioactive compounds and enzymes from filamentous fungi is highly dependent on cultivation conditions. Here we present an easy way to cultivate filamentous fungi on glass beads that allow complete control of nutrient supply. Secondary metabolite production in Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium solani cultivated on agar plates, in shaking liquid culture or on glass beads was compared. Agar plate culture and glass bead cultivation yielded comparable results while liquid culture had lower production of secondary metabolites. RNA extraction from glass beads and liquid cultures was easier than from agar plates and the quality was superior. The system allows simple control of nutrient availability throughout fungal cultivation. This combined with the ease of extraction of nucleic acids and metabolites makes the system highly suitable for the study of gene regulation in response to specific nutrient factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 49, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark. ad@bio.aau.dk
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Droce
authors.forename: Jens Laurids
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: Teis Esben
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Sondergaard
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005670:Fusarium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D025282:Mycelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009172:Mycology / Q000379:methods*; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D009711:Nucleotides; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D000362:Agar
keywords: Carbon metabolism; Cultivation methods; Fungal RNA extraction; Fusarium; Secondary metabolite production