Discussion

Scopulariopsis brevicaulis is a marine fungus isolated from sponge by researchers in Johannes Imhoff's group at the Kieler Wirkstoffzentrum in Germany. S. brevicaulis produces cyclodepsipeptides called scopularides, some of which may have anti-tumour activity. Scopularide A accumulates within the hyphae of S. brevicaulis.

Although little is known about the induction or regulation of scopularide A accumulation in the hyphae of S. brevicaulis, it appears to be produced during growth, unlike many secondary products. Here we used batch and fed-batch cultivations to increase the amount of scopularide A obtainable from S. brevicaulis. Good production was associated with adequate provision of carbohydrate, nitrogen and air. Fed-batch cultivations were useful for increasing biomass concentration, but since the product was growth associated, were not necessary to obtain high yields. These studies provide a basis for developing an improved production process.

This research has been funded through the EU's 7th Framework project "MARINE FUNGI".

Anu Tamminen, Marilyn G. Wiebe
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland