Destruxin production of Metarhizium anisopliae under carbon and nitrogen exhaustion.

Destruxins (dtx) A, B, and E, showing a variety of biological activities, are the main toxic secondary metabolites of the entomopathogenous ascomycete Metarhizium anisopliae Bipesco 5, a widely used biocontrol production strain. Dynamics of dtx biosynthesis were monitored during liquid fermentation in a chemically defined medium. During shake flask cultivation with excess carbon, nitrogen and phosphate, approximately 50, 20, and 100 mg l(-1) dtx A, B, and E were produced after 12 d. Destruxins were produced during exponential growth phase and in the stationary phase. Carbon exhaustion in the culture broth was demonstrated to affect destruxin production to a minor degree: Absolute dtx amounts in the liquid increased also after glucose exhaustion; dtx amounts referred to biomass increased further evidently in shake flasks or slightly in bioreactor experiments after carbon limitation occurred. Contrarily, nitrogen exhaustion resulted in an evident decline in dtx amounts referred to biomass. Absolute amounts in the culture broth, however, still increased slightly the following four days in bioreactor experiments. From this we conclude that dtx production is highly influenced by nitrogen availability. Generally, dtx production in bioreactors with controlled aeration (1 vvm) was significantly lower than in shake flasks.