Application of the nourseothricin acetyltransferase gene (nat1) as dominant marker for the transformation of filamentous fungi

Here, we report the construction of two transformation vectors, pD-NAT1 and pG-NAT1, carrying the nat1 gene encoding the nourseothricin acetyltransferase. The nat1 gene is expressed under the control of the Aspergillus nidulans trpC promoter and thus can be used as a dominant drug-resistance marker for the DNAmediated transformation of filamentous fungi. The successful application of both vectors was demonstrated by transforming the homothallic ascomycete Sordaria macrospora as well as the β-lactam producerAcremonium chrysogenum. For both fungi and for both vectors, transformation frequencies were between 10 and 40 transformants per 10 μg of plasmid DNA. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. This regular paper is available in Fungal Genetics Reports: http://newprairiepress.org/fgr/vol53/iss1/3