초록
<P><I>Acremonium cellulolyticus</I> is one of several fungi that offer promise as an alternative to <I>Trichoderma reesei</I> for use in industrial cellulase production. However, the mechanism of cellulase production has not been studied at the molecular level because adequate genetic engineering tools for use in <I>A. cellulolyticus</I> are lacking. In the present study, we developed a gene disruption method for <I>A. cellulolyticus</I>, which needs a longer homologous region length. We cloned a putative <I>A. cellulolyticus creA</I> gene that is highly similar to the <I>creA</I> genes derived from other filamentous fungi, and isolated a <I>creA</I> disruptant strain by using the disruption method. Growth of the <I>creA</I> disruptant on agar plates was slower than that of the control strain. In the wild-type strain, the CreA protein was localized in the nucleus, suggesting that the cloned gene encodes the CreA transcription factor. Cellulase and xylanase production by the <I>creA</I> disruptant were higher than that of the control strain at the enzyme and transcription levels. Furthermore, the <I>creA</I> disruptant produced cellulase and xylanase in the presence of glucose. These data suggest both that the CreA protein functions as a catabolite repressor protein, and that disruption of <I>creA</I> is effective for enhancing enzyme production by <I>A. cellulolyticus</I>.</P>