Transformation of Penicillium urticae with plasmids containing the hygromycin B resistance gene.

Abstract

A transformation system with efficiencies between 6 and 50 stable transformants per micrograms of DNA was developed for Penicillium urticae J1 (ATCC48163) using hygromycin B-resistant plasmids containing or not containing fragments of the P. urticae genome. The tandem repeated integration and/or random integration of vector DNA were observed. Although P. urticae was unable to grow in the presence of 200 micrograms/ml hygromycin B, the transformants were resistant to more than 5 mg/ml of hygromycin B.