Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Customization of Aspergillus niger Morphology Through Addition of Talc Micro Particles
Published on: March 15, 2012
Environmental cues that induce the physiology of solid medium: a study on lovastatin production by Aspergillus
N Ávila1, M R Tarragó-Castellanos2, J Barrios-González1
1Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, México.
Aims:
The aim of this work was to identify the main environmental factors that induce the special physiology displayed by fungi growing in solid culture-that is, higher secondary metabolite (SM) production-compared with those in submerged culture.
Methods And Results:
Lovastatin-specific production (SP) was used as an indicator of the physiological status, and different model culture systems were used to evaluate the impact of potential solid-state fermentation (SSF) environmental stimuli. Direct contact with air was identified as an important stimulus. Cultures with two or more hours of exposure to air showed typical SSF lovastatin SP (1462% higher than cultures exposed for 0·08 h). Intermediate times of exposure generated intermediate physiological states. Support-related stimuli also induced higher lovastatin SP, even in a liquid environment (679% increase).
Conclusions:
Direct contact with air, as well as support-related stimuli, are major environmental cues that induce the physiology of solid medium.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
This knowledge is the starting point to investigate how these environmental cues are sensed and transduced, impacting SM and enzyme production. These results have important applied potential in new strategies to generate overproducing strains, as well as application in the design of novel production systems.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Fermentation
Liver Physiology
Metabolic Regulation:
The liver is the central organ involved in regulating blood composition. It stabilizes blood glucose levels, maintaining them within the range of 70–110 mg/dL. When these levels drop, the liver breaks down glycogen reserves and releases glucose into the bloodstream. It can...
Chemical Factors Affecting Respiration Centers
CO2 has a potent influence on respiration and is strictly regulated....
Allosteric Regulation
Bioavailability Enhancement: Drug Stability Enhancement and GI Retention
Microorganisms in Agriculture and Food industry

