Biotechnology Letters

, Volume 30, Issue 5, pp 885–890 | Cite as

siRNA as a molecular tool for use in Aspergillus niger

  • Sally E. Barnes
  • Marcos J. C. Alcocer
  • David B. Archer
Original Research Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Gene silencing using siRNA has been examined in the industrially-important fungus, Aspergillus niger. Protoplasts of an A. niger strain containing a single genomic copy of the Escherichia coli uidA gene, encoding β-glucuronidase (GUS), under control of the A. niger glaA promoter at the same genomic locus, were exposed to siRNA targeted against the uidA gene. Down-regulation of uidA mRNA and GUS activity by siRNA was observed in mycelia that developed from the protoplasts. The down-regulation was transient and was not carried over to conidiation. We concluded that gene silencing by siRNA provides a relatively quick method for analysis of gene function in A. niger.

Keywords

Aspergillus niger Down-regulation GUS Protoplasts siRNA 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the financial support of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council through the Exploiting Genomics Programme.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sally E. Barnes
    • 1
  • Marcos J. C. Alcocer
    • 2
  • David B. Archer
    • 1
  1. 1.School of BiologyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
  2. 2.School of BiosciencesUniversity of NottinghamLoughboroughUK

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