ARGININE AND PROLINE GENES OF ASPERGILLUS-NIGER

Aspergillus niger mutants defective in arginine or proline biosynthesis have been isolated and 12 genetic loci were identified. Mutation was induced by low doses UV, and mutants were isolated after filtration enrichment. The mutants were classified according to their phenotype in growth tests and were further characterized in complementation tests. The arginine auxotrophic mutants represent nine complementation groups. Three additional complementation groups were found for mutants that could grow on proline (two of them on arginine too). Linkage group analysis was done in somatic diploids obtained from a mutant and a master strain with genetic markers on six chromosomes. The arg genes belong to six different linkage groups and the pro genes to two. One arg-mutant could be complemented by transformation with the A. nidulans argB+ gene, and this A. niger gene thus appeared to be homologous to the A. nidulans argB. We isolated an A. niger strain with the argB gene tightly linked with the nicA1 marker. This strain is very suitable as acceptor for transformation with an argB-plasmid, because transformants with inserts on the homologous site can be recognized and analyzed genetically using the nicA1 marker gene.