Olfactory responses of Phycomyces blakesleeanus.

Upon exposure to low levels of various volatile compounds such as n-heptanol, methanol, CHCl₃, mercaptoheptane, etc., the sporangiophore of $\text{Phycomyces}\text{blakesleeanus}$ responds with a transient and reproducible decrease in its elongation rate. All 22 volatile substances tested (except H₂O) elicited negative responses. The amplitude of the responses depends on the compound and its concentration. A characteristic concentration, required for 50% inhibition, correlates remarkable well with the human olfactory threshold (coefficient of correlation r = 0.89 (P < 0.001)). Perhaps some process in olfaction is common to this fungus and higher systems.     

Liposome-protoplast fusion in Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Abstract We describe here fusion between phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) and protoplasts to the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus . Both 6-carboxyfluorescein and the kanamycin resistance harboured by the plasmid have been transferred from liposomes to protoplasts of Phycomyces by the fusion technique.     

Carbamoyl-phosphate synthase in Phycomyces blakesleeanus

A carbamoyl-phosphate synthase has been purified from mycelia of Phycomyces blakesleeanus NRRL 1555 (-). The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 188,000 by gel filtration. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate showed that the enzyme consists of two unequal subunits with molecular weights of 130,000 and 55,000. The purified enzyme has been shown to be highly unstable. The carbamoyl-phosphate synthase from Phycomyces uses ammonia and not L-glutamine as a primary N donor and does not require activation by N-acetyl-L-glutamate, but it does require free Mg2+ for maximal activity. Kinetic studies showed a hyperbolic behavior with respect to ammonia (Km 6.34 mM), bicarbonate (Km 10.5 mM) and ATP.2 Mg2+ (Km 0.93 mM). The optimum pH of the enzyme activity was 7.4-7.8. The Phycomyces carbamoyl-phosphate synthase showed a transition temperature at 38.5 degrees C. It was completely indifferent to ornithine, cysteine, glycine, IMP, dithiothreitol, glycerol, UMP, UDP and UTP. The enzyme was inhibited by reaction with 5 mM N-ethylmaleimide.     

DNA sequence organization in Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Reassociation analysis shows that the genome of the Zygomycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus consists of repetitive and single copy sequences arranged in a long period interspersion pattern. The average lengths of the interspersed repetitive (16 kb) and single copy (25 kb) sequences appear to be very large. The sequence organization resembles that reported for the Oomycete Achlya (Hudspeth et al., 1977).     

The kinetic mechanism of pyruvate reduction by lactate dehydrogenase from Phycomyces blakesleeanus

The kinetics of pyruvate reduction by lactate dehydrogenase from Phycomyces blakesleeanus NRRL 1555 (-) have been determined at pH 6.0. Initial rate studies performed in the pyruvate reduction direction suggest that a sequential mechanism is operating. Product inhibition studies with NAD+ and L(+)-lactate are consistent with an ordered sequential mechanism if we considered that NAD+ mimics the NADH that binds cooperatively on the enzyme and also the existence of dead-end complex responsible for substrate inhibition by pyruvate at this pH value.     

Influence of pH on the allosteric properties of lactate dehydrogenase activity of Phycomyces blakesleeanus.

1. Lactate dehydrogenase from mycelium of Phycomyces blakesleeanus showed positive homotropic interactions with NADH at all pH values studied (pH 5.0-7.7). The calculated values for the first and last intrinsic association constants remained unaltered with pH, in contrast with the Hill coefficient value, which varied significantly, reaching its maximum values at pH 6.0 and 7.7. This suggests the hypothesis that pH regulates these homotropic effects by changes in the value of the intermediate intrinsic association constants. 2. From pH 7.2 to 7.7 lactate dehydrogenase exhibited, likewise, positive homotropic interactions with pyruvate. There were practically no changes in the first and last intrinsic association constants and in Hill coefficient values with pH. At pH values below 7.2 (pH 5.0-6.8) the enzyme showed high substrate inhibition, which was highly dependent on pH, NADH concentration and temperature. By way of substrate inhibition pH regulates, primarily, lactate dehydrogenase activity towards pyruvate, since the homotropic effects appear not to be dependent on pH. 3. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is a true allosteric effector of lactate dehydrogenase of Phycomyces blakesleeanus. it decreases positive co-operativity with NADH, and on the other hand pyruvate co-operativity turns into mixed co-operativity. In addition, the effector decreases the inhibitory effect caused by pyruvate.     

Cell wall carbohydrates in Phycomyces blakesleeanus burgeff

The carbohydrate composition of the cell walls from spores, mycelium and sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus was analyzed. Spore wall polysaccharides contained over 50% glucose, about 20% uronic acids, 10% mannose and 10% amino-sugars. During the growth of the hyphae amino-sugars became the main carbohydrate (45%); uronic acids contributed some 25%, glucose and fucose 10% and galactose nearly 6%. Sporangiophores contained almost 90% aminosugars and some 6% uronic acids. Traces of rhamnose were found in all wall preparations. A similar picture emerged from studies on the incorporation of [U-¹⁴C]-glucose into wall materials.Furthermore we looked for a GDP-fucose synthesizing system and found an increasing activity during early germination. This rise in activity was inhibited by cycloheximide but not by 5-fluorouracil.     

Isolation and characterization of Phycomyces blakesleeanus ferritin.

Ferritin was isolated from the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus and compared biochemically and immunologically with horse spleen ferritin. Phycomyces and horse spleen ferritins were shown to exhibit similar electrophoretic patterns on polyacrylamide gels. Both preparations yielded an identical single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing polyacrylamide gels. Tryptic digests of Phycomyces ferritin yielded 17 ninhydrin-positive spots as compared to 26 for horse spleen ferritin tryptic digests. Phycomyces ferritin was immunologically unrelated to horse spleen ferritin.     

A genetic map of Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Summary Complementation tests among Phycomyces auxotrophic strains revealed the existence of four genes with mutants requiring riboflavin, three genes with purine auxotrophs, two with nicotinic acid auxotrophs, and two with lysine auxotrophs. A total of 134 sexual crosses between strains carrying mutations affecting phototropism (madA-madE), carotenoid biosynthesis (carA), auxotrophy (ribA-ribD, purA-purC, lysA and lysB, nicA and nicB, and leuA) and resistance to 5-fluorouracil (furA and furB) were studied; mating type (sex) was also included as a marker. The results from random spore analysis, tetrad analysis, and gene-centromere distances shows that these markers are distributed into 11 linkage groups.     

Methyl trisporate E. A sex pheromone in Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Combined mating type cultures of Phycomyces blakesleeanus accumulate 41 mg of trisporic acids/l of medium, of which 30% is trisporic acid E. The methyl ester of trisporic acid E exhibits the same zygophore -inducing activity in bioassays with P. blakesleeanus and Mucor mucedo as does the pheromone methyl trisporate C. The structure of methyl trisporate E is 1,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxyl-4-oxo-6-(2'-hydroxyl-6'- methylocta -5',7'-d ien-8'-yl) -5-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid methyl ester.     

Effect of glucose on isocitrate lyase in Phycomyces blakesleeanus.

Repression of the synthesis of isocitrate lyase by glucose and/or induction of the synthesis of isocitrate lyase by acetate in Phycomyces blakesleeanus were demonstrated. Both glycerol and ethanol failed to induce isocitrate lyase activity. Furthermore, glucose appeared to cause an in vivo catabolite inactivation of the derepressed enzyme. Isocitrate lyase was inactivated both reversibly and irreversibly by glucose.     

The nature of the substrate inhibition of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase from Phycomyces blakesleeanus

The mechanism that leads to substrate inhibition of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (l-malate:NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.37) from mycelium of Phycomyces blakesleeanus was investigated. A dead-end complex between enzyme and the enol-oxalacetate form appears to be responsible for this inhibition. The formation of the complex occurs more readily at acidic pH values. Results of this study suggest that the binding of oxalacetate as inhibitor prevent the NADH binding, with an estimated K_i for oxalacetate of 1.8 ± 0.1 mM. Such a competitive inhibition implies that the binding site for oxalacetate is the same both as inhibitor as well as substrate.     

Interallelic complementation provides genetic evidence for the multimeric organization of the Phycomyces blakesleeanus phytoene dehydrogenase.

The Phycomyces blakesleeanus wild-type is yellow, because it accumulates beta-carotene as the main carotenoid. A new carotenoid mutant of this fungus (A486) was isolated, after treatment with ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS), showing a whitish coloration. It accumulates large amounts of phytoene, small quantities of phytofluene, zeta-carotene and neurosporene, in decreasing amounts, and traces of beta-carotene. This phenotype indicates that it carries a leaky mutation affecting the enzyme phytoene dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.-.-), which is specified by the gene carB. Biochemical analysis of heterokaryons showed that mutant A486 complements two previously characterized carB mutants, C5 (carB10) and S442 (carB401). Sequence analysis of the carB gene genomic copy from these three strains revealed that they are all altered in the gene carB, giving information about the nature of the mutation in each carB mutant allele. The interallelic complementation provides evidence for the multimeric organization of the P. blakesleeanus phytoene dehydrogenase.     

Chitin synthetase mutants of Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Mutants resistant to nikkomycin, an inhibitor of chitin biosynthesis, were isolated after exposure of wild-type spores of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus to N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Genetic analysis revealed that nikkomycin resistance was due to mutations in a single gene, chsA. Mutants and wild type grew equally well in the absence of nikkomycin. In contrast to the wild type, whose spore germination and mycelial growth were inhibited by 5 μM nikkomycin, chsA mutants grew reasonably well in the presence of 50 μM nikkomycin. Chitin synthesis in vivo was much less affected by the drug in the mutants than in the wild type. Resistance was not due to impaired uptake or detoxification of the drug. Analysis of the kinetics of chitin synthesis in vitro showed that the mutants had a decreased K_a for the allosteric activator, N-acetylglucosamine, and gross alterations in nikkomycin inhibition kinetics. These results indicate that chsA is the structural gene for chitin synthetase, or at least for the polypeptide that bears the catalytic and allosteric sites.