Attempts to discover a sexual cycle in koji mold Aspergillus oryzae

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The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae has been long used in Japanese traditional food fermentation. As its sexual cycle has not been found, it is not possible to obtain industrially useful strains by cross breeding. In this study, we demonstrated the functionality of mating-type genes and re-discovered a hyphal fusion ability of A.oryzae for the first time in ~50 years. Promoting sclerotia production led to the formation of sexual spore-like structures. This study demonstrates the potential of A. oryzae for sexual reproduction.