Improved Transformation of the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus niger Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Since it is known that Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which has long been used to transform plants, can transfer the T-DNA to yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during tumourigenesis, a variety of fungi were subjected to transformation to improve their transformation frequency. In this study, I report the A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation of filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. Transfer of the binary vector pBIN9-Hg, containing the bacterial hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans trpC promoter and terminator as a selectable marker, led to the selection of $50{\sim}100$ hygromycin B-resistant transformants per $1{\times}10^7$ conidia of A. niger. This efficiency is improved $10{\sim}20$ fold more than reported elsewhere. In order to avoid the difficulties in selection transformant from the over-growing non-transformant, I used top agar containing 900 ${\mu}g/ml$ of hygromycin. Genomic PCR and Southern analysis showed that all transformants contained single T-DNA insert per fungal genome. This technique offers an easier and more efficient method than that of using protoplast.