Summary
In a joint Kluyver Center/NPC endeavor we will use proteomics in conjunction with stable isotope labeling and electron transfer dissociation LC MS/MS to analyze the secretome of Aspergillus niger. It was generally assumed that growth and secretion of proteins are strictly coupled in A. niger. Interestingly, the group of Wösten recently showed that sandwiched colonies of this fungus do secrete proteins in non growing parts of the colony when they are transferred to a fresh medium. Still, not all parts of the colony secrete proteins upon transfer. The non-secreting parts were shown to be competent to sporulate. In this project we would like to study spatial secretion in wild type strains of A. niger as well as in recombinant strains with an altered spatial secretion profile. The results obtained in this project are relevant to obtain high secretion in fungal fermentations under zero growth conditions and may also lead to strains that have a reduced incidence of lysis during production processes.