The Zn(II)2-Cys6-type zinc finger protein AoKap7 is involved in the growth, oxidative stress and kojic acid synthesis in Aspergillus oryzae
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Researchers studied a protein called AoKap7 in a fungus used to produce kojic acid, which is found in many cosmetic and food products. By deleting this protein gene, they found that fungi grew faster but produced much less kojic acid and were more sensitive to stress. The protein works as a master switch that controls both how fast the fungus grows and how much of the valuable kojic acid it makes.