Utilization of n-Alkanes by Cladosporium resinae

Four different isolates of Cladosporium resinae from Australian soils were tested for their ability to utilize liquid n-alkanes ranging from n-hexane to n-octadecane under standard conditions. The isolates were unable to make use of n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-octane for growth. In fact, these hydrocarbons, particularly n-hexane, exerted an inhibitory effect on spore germination and mycelial growth. All higher n-alkanes from n-nonane to n-octadecane were assimilated by the fungus, although only limited growth occurred on n-nonane and n-decane. The long chain n-alkanes (C(14) to C(18)) supported good growth of all isolates, but there was no obvious correlation between cell yields and chain lengths of these n-alkanes. Variation in growth responses to individual n-alkane among the different isolates was also observed. The cause of this variation is unknown.     

Production of biosurfactants by Cladosporium resinae

Summary Cladosporium resinae produces extracellular biosurfactants when growing in a hydrocarbon source such as the jet fuel JP8. This production of biosurfactants was observed by the reduction of the surface tension of the aqueous phase of growing medium, and by the increase in emulsion and foaming properties. A partial purification by collapsed foam gave better physical properties by decreasing surface tension and increasing foaming power and stabilization of emulsions. Surface active substances were purified by reversed phase chromatography. Six compounds representing over 75% of fraction containing surface activity were present. This fraction gave an improvement of all surface properties.     

Pathway of n-Alkane Oxidation in Cladosporium resinae

Pathways of initial oxidation of n-alkanes were examined in two strains of Cladosporium resinae. Cells grow on dodecane and hexadecane and their primary alcohol and monoic acid derivatives. The homologous aldehydes do not support growth but are oxidized by intact cells and by cell-free preparations. Hexane and its derivatives support little or no growth, but cell extracts oxidize hexane, hexanol, and hexanal. Alkane oxidation by extracts is stimulated by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate). Alcohol and aldehyde oxidation are stimulated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate), and reduced coenzymes accumulate in the presence of cyanide or azide. Extracts supplied with (14)C-hexadecane convert it to the alcohol, aldehyde, and acid. Therefore, the major pathway for initial oxidation of n-alkanes is via the primary alcohol, aldehyde, and monoic acid, and the system can act on short-, intermediate-, and long-chain substrates. Thus, filamentous fungi appear to oxidize n-alkanes by pathways similar to those used by bacteria and yeasts.     

Hydrolysis of alpha-D-glucans and alpha-D-gluco-oligosaccharides by Cladosporium resinae glucoamylases

Culture filtrates of Cladosporium resinae ATCC 20495 contain a mixture of enzymes able to convert starch and pullulan efficiently into D-glucose. Culture conditions for optimal production of the pullulan-degrading activity have been established. The amylolytic enzyme preparation was fractionated by ion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatography, and shown to contain alpha-D-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, and two glucoamylases. The glucoamylases have been purified to homogeneity and their substrate specificities investigated. One of the glucoamylases (termed P) readily hydrolyses the (1 leads to 6)-alpha-D linkages in pullulan, amylopectin, isomaltose, panose, and 6(3)-alpha-D-glucosylmaltotriose. Each of the glucoamylases cleaves the (1 leads to 6)-alpha-D linkage in panose much more readily than that in isomaltose.     

Incorporation of 8-Azaguanine and Guanine by Cladosporium resinae

With (14)C-tagged 8-azaguanine and guanine in a Bushnell-Haas medium with glucose as a carbon source, the rate of incorporation of the two bases was determined in Cladosporium resinae. There was a marked preference for the incorporation of 8-azaguanine over guanine.     

X-ray microanalysis of electron-dense bodies in Cladosporium resinae

Abstract One of the structural changes which occur in Cladosporium resinae during growth on hydrocarbons is the formation of electron-dense bodies. In this paper we report the results of X-ray microanalysis and X-ray mapping, which have shown that these bodies are associated with high concentrations of calcium and phosphorus. Such accumulation of these elements is probably a reflection of the low growth rates which appear to be characteristic of growth of C. resinae on hydrocarbons.     

Submitochondrial location and electron transport characteristics of enzymes involved in proline oxidation

Isolated corn mitochondria (Zea mays cv. B73 × Mo17) were fractionated and the fragments were separated on a 20-45% (weight/weight) continuous sucrose gradient. Soluble enzymes remained at the top of the gradient overlapping with the outer membranes, while inner membrane vesicles and intact inner membranes were distributed farther down the gradient. Proline oxidase and Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid dehydrogenase activities were associated only with the inner mitochondrial membrane. Glutamate dehydrogenase was confirmed as a matrix enzyme.     

Subcellular location of enzymes involved in the N-glycosylation and processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A particulate translation system isolated from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was shown to translate faithfully in-vitro-transcribed mRNA coding for a mating hormone precursor (prepro-alpha-factor mRNA) and to N-glycosylate the primary translation product after its translocation into the lumen of the microsomal vesicles. Glycosylation of its three potential sugar attachment sites was found to be competitively inhibited by acceptor peptides containing the consensus sequence Asn-Xaa-Thr, supporting the view that the glycan chains are N-glycosidically attached to the prepro-alpha-factor polypeptide. The accumulation in the presence of acceptor peptides of a membrane-specific, unglycosylated translation product (pp-alpha-F0) differing in molecular mass from a cytosolically located, protease-K-sensitive alpha-factor polypeptide (pp-alpha-Fcyt) by about 1.3 kDa, suggests that, in contrast to previous reports, a signal sequence is cleaved from the mating hormone precursor on/after translocation. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the multiply glycosylated alpha-factor precursor is cleaved by endoglucosaminidase H to a product with a molecular mass smaller than the primary translation product pp-alpha-Fcyt but larger than the membrane-specific pp-alpha-F0. Translation and glycosylation experiments carried out in the presence of various glycosidase inhibitors (e.g. 1-deoxynojirimycin, N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimyin and 1-deoxymannojirimycin) indicate that the N-linked oligosaccharide chains of the glycosylated prepro-alpha-factor species are extensively processed under the in vitro conditions of translation. From the specificity of the glycosidase inhibitors applied and the differences in the molecular mass of the glycosylated translation products generated in their presence, we conclude that the glycosylation-competent microsomes contain trimming enzymes, most likely glucosidase I, glucosidase II and a trimming mannosidase, which process the prepro-alpha-factor glycans down to the (Man)8(GlcNAc)2 stage. Furthermore, several arguments strongly suggest that these three enzymes, which apparently represent the full array of trimming activities in yeast, are exclusively located in the lumen of microsomal vesicles derived from endoplasmic reticulum membranes.     

Effects of Poorly Metabolized Hydrocarbons on Substrate Oxidation by Cladosporium resinae

Twelve hydrocarbons which singly support no growth or little growth of Cladosporium resinae were examined for their effects on utilization of four substrates which do support growth of the fungus. Of the 48 combinations of an oxidizable substrate with a potential hydrocarbon substrate, 8 combinations supported increased oxygen consumption above the level obtained with the oxidizable substrate alone. There was no evidence of co-oxidation of the potential co-substrates toluene or p -xylene; their effects on increasing O₂-uptake appear to be due to permeability changes. With hexadecane alone, the ratio hexadecane oxidized to CO₂: hexadecane taken up by cells was 97:3. Addition of p -xylene or toluene decreased that ratio slightly to 96:4 and 89:11, respectively. These high ratios of hydrocarbon oxidized to hydrocarbon taken up may be advantageous during degradation of petroleum in the natural environment, since petroleum components could be degraded without formation of a large biomass.     

Glucose transport and its inhibition by short-chain n-alkanes in Cladosporium resinae.

Glucose transport in Cladosporium resinae was studies with the aid of the non-metabolizable glucose analogue 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3-O-MG). 3-O-MG, transported as a free sugar without phosphorylation, was found to inhibit glucose uptake competitively. Conversely, glucose was a competitive inhibitor of 3-O-MG uptake. Moreover, both glucose and 3-O-MG were able to bring about rapid counterflow intracellular 3-O-MG. Thus, glucose and 3-O-MG share the same entry and exit systems. The transport of 3-O-MG is carrier mediated and energy dependent as shown by saturation kinetics, strong temperature dependence, accumulation of unaltered 3-O-MG against a concentration gradient, and inhibition of uptake by NaN3, NaCN, and 2,4-dinitrophenol. The glucose transport system appeared to be constitutive for glucose transport in cells grown on fructose, galactose, mannose, xylose, or glucose. There was no derepressible low-Km glucose transport system in C. resinae. n-Hexane and n-heptane were found to inhibit 3-O-MG uptake rapidly at temperatures above 20 C. Over 50% inhibition of the uptake rate occurred after only 10 min of incubation with n-hexane at 30 C. The percentage of inhibition in the presence of n-hexane, compared to controls in the absence of n-hexane, was found to increase with increasing temperature. Longer-chain n-alkanes (C8 to C18) had no significant effect on uptake. The efflux of intracellular 3-O-MG, which appeared to occur by facilitated diffusion, was not affected by any of the n-alkanes tested including n-hexane.     

Copper adsorption by Rhizopus arrhizus,Cladosporium resinae and Penicillium italicum

Summary Copper adsorption by Rhizopus arrhizus, Cladosporium resinae and Penicillium italicum was studied using a copper-selective electrode. Copper adsorption by C. resinae and P. italicum obeyed the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms for single-layer adsorption whereas R. arrhizus followed the BET isotherm for multi-layer adsorption. Temperature had little effect on adsorption over the range 4–25°C. Mineral acids were effective for desorption of copper from preloaded biomass, the efficiency of desorption increasing with decreasing pH. Other cations were also capable of copper desorption with zinc showing the greatest efficiency and sodium the lowest.     

Inhibition of glucose metabolism by n-hexadecane in Cladosporium (Amorphotheca) resinae.

When Cladosporium resinae is provided with n-hexadecane and glucose, n-hexadecane is used preferentially. Studies using [14C]glucose indicated that n-hexadecane did not inhibit glucose uptake but did retard oxidation of glucose to CO2 and assimilation of glucose carbon into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material. Glucose could be recovered quantitatively from hydrocarbon-grown cells that had been transferred to glucose. Four enzymes that may be involved in glucose metabolism, hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-phosphate isomerase, and succinate dehydrogenase, were not detected in cells grown on hexadecane but were present in cells grown on glucose. Addition of hexadecane to extracts of glucose-grown cells resulted in immediate loss of activity for each of the four enzymes, but two other enzymes did not directly involved in glucose metabolism, adenosine triphosphatase and alanine-ketoacid aminotransferase, were not inhibited by hexadecane in vitro. Cells grown on hexadecane and transferred to glucose metabolize intracellular hexadecane; after 1 day, activity of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucosephosphate isomerase, and succinate dehydrogenase could be detected and 22% of the intracellular hydrocarbon had been metabolized. Hexadecane-grown cells transferred to glucose plus cycloheximide showed the same level of activity of all the four enzymes as cells transferred to glucose alone. Thus, intracellular n-hexadecane or a metabolite of hexadecane can inthesis of those enzymes is not inhibited.     

Formation of organic acids by the fungus Cladosporium resinae in media containing n-alkanes]

The so-called fungus Cladosporium resinae that often occurs in oil fuels ane increases their acidity grows well at the expense of n-alkanes from C11 to C16. On the n-alkane containing media the fungus grows slowly and only under the stationary conditions. During the fungal cultivation on the media containing n-dodecane or kerosene the culture liquid shows acetic acid and other fatty acids, ketoacids (pyruvic and alpha-ketoglutaric) as well as citric and isocitric acids that dominate among nonvolatile acids. Upon nitrogen deficiency in the medium and comparatively good aeration the content of citric acids increases. The culture liquid of the fungus devoid from the mycelium and nonutilized n-alkanes can be used a a nutrient medium for different microorganisms.     

Toxicity of Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Alcohols Towards Cladosporium resinae

Long-chain saturated fatty acids (C(13) to C(18)) and fatty alcohols (C(12) to C(18)) were well utilized by three different soil isolates of Cladosporium resinae as the sole carbon and energy sources in static liquid cultures. Shorter-chain compounds, down to C(5), did not support growth and were in fact toxic towards the fungus growing on glucose. Rapid and considerable potassium efflux, protein leakage, and inhibition of endogenous respiration were observed in the presence of the shorter fatty acids and alcohols. Possible mechanisms and significance of the toxicity are discussed.     

Subcellular localization of phospholipids and enzymes involved in PAF-acether metabolism

The biosynthesis of platelet-activating factor (PAF-acether or 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) through the remodeling pathway was investigated at the subcellular level in two different cell lines. In human neutrophils, plasma membrane was isolated not only from granules, but also from internal membranes related to endoplasmic reticulum. Interestingly, the latter exhibited enhanced acetyltransferase upon neutrophil stimulation with ionophore A23187. A similar study was undertaken on the tumor strain Krebs-II cells. The enzyme acetyltransferase was found to be located only on an endoplasmic reticulum subfraction, whereas most alkylacyl-GPC, the source of PAF-precursor alkyl-lyso-GPC, was located in the plasma membrane inner leaflet. The topographical separation of enzyme and precursor emphasizes the central role of the intracellular phospholipase A2 in providing lyso-PAF to the acetyltransferase to form PAF-acether.