Enhanced production of (+)-terrein by Aspergillus terreus strain PF26 with epigenetic modifier suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid

•It was the first time to use epigenetic modifier to improve the yield of (+)-terrein.•The strategy using epigenetics to improve the fermentation yield of secondary metabolites was suggested.•A high yield of (+)-terrein in bioreactor fermentation, 9.07 g/L, was achieved.•This study makes the massive production of (+)-terrein by A. terreus strain PF26 in bioreactors possible.

New strategies for improving the fermentation yield of (+)-terrein which is a fungal metabolite with multiple bioactivities are very urgent. In this study, the effect of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, one kind of epigenetic modifier, on the biosynthesis of (+)-terrein by Aspergillus terreus strain PF26 isolated from the marine sponge Phakellia fusca was investigated. It was found that suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid exhibited a positive impact on (+)-terrein production, resulting from promoting the biosynthesis of 6-hydroxymellein, the precursor of (+)-terrein. Through optimization of feeding concentration and time of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, 5.58 g/L (+)-terrein could be obtained in shake flask cultivation, 29.5% higher than the control. Correspondingly, the fermentation of A. terreus strain PF26 in 7.5-L stirred bioreactor with feeding suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (900 μM, day 4) yielded 9.07 g/L (+)-terrein, 77.1% higher than the control. These results showed that the epigenetic modifier-suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid could be utilized to enhance the production of (+)-terrein, which laid the foundation of massive production of (+)-terrein by fermentation.