L-Arabinose induces synthesis of secreted beta-galactosidase in the filamentous fungus penicillium canescens

The mechanism of induction of secreted beta-galactosidase was studied in the filamentous fungus Penicillium canescens. L-Arabinose and its metabolite L-arabitol induce the synthesis of the enzyme. Apart from beta-galactosidase, L-arabinose induces the synthesis of other extracellular carbohydrolases including alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase. Increasing L-arabinose concentration above 1 mM or addition of other carbon sources results in carbon catabolite repression of the synthesis of the secreted enzymes. The data suggest that arabinofuranosidase can regulate the synthesis of secreted enzymes in P. canescens, thus controlling the level of free L-arabinose.     

Mechanism of overproduction of secreted enzymes in the mycelial fungus Penicillium canescens

The fungus Penicillium canescens strain F178 (VKPM) and its niaD- mutant exhibited an increased capability of synthesizing extracellular enzymes beta-galactosidase (70-80 U/ml) and xylanase (100 U/ml). The synthesis was induced by arabinose and its catabolite, arabitol. A deficiency in arabitol dehydrogenase, leading to arabitol accumulation in the cell, was detected in the chain of reactions of arabinose catabolism. The increased synthesis of beta-galactosidase and xylanase in P. canescens is accounted for by (1) cellular accumulation of the inducer (arabitol) at low concentrations of arabinose in the medium and (2) prevalence of induction over repression.     

Induction of endo-1,4-beta-xylanase and beta-galactosidase in the original and recombinant strains of the fungus Penicillium canescens

The induction of the synthesis of secreted enzymes endo-1,4-beta-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) and beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) in the original and recombinant Penicillium canescens strains has been studied. In all producer strains, the synthesis of these enzymes was induced by arabinose and its metabolite arabitol. The two enzymes differed in the concentration of arabinose required for the induction: the synthesis of beta-galactosidase was most pronounced at 1 mM, whereas maximum synthesis of endo-1,4-beta-xylanase was observed at 5 to 10 mM. An increase in the number of endo-1,4-beta-xylanase copies in the high-copy-number strain of the fungus suppressed the synthesis of beta-galactosidase; the synthesis of endo-1,4-beta-xylanase in the high-copy-number recombinant producing beta-galactosidase was affected to a lesser extent. The amount of the enzymes synthesized did not depend on the saccharide used as a sole source of carbon for growing the mycelium prior to its transfer to the inducer-containing medium.     

Thermal inactivation of alpha-galactosidase from Penicillium canescens

The kinetics and mechanism of thermal inactivation of Penicillium canescens alpha-galactosidase in the temperature range of 55-65 degrees C have been studied. The kinetic scheme of alpha-galactosidase thermal inactivation was proposed which included the reversible dissociation of active hexamers into associating monomers and irreversible denaturation of monomers. The kinetic constants of thermal inactivation have been determined. The effect of enzyme concentration and purification efficiency has been investigated. A possibility of defence of protein molecule from thermal inactivation in the presence of BSA, glycerol, melibiose, raffinose and stachyose is shown.     

An Antifungal Tetrapeptide from the Culture of Penicillium canescens

A new tetrapeptide D ‐Phe‐L ‐Val‐D ‐Val‐L ‐Tyr ( 1 ), along with three known diketopiperazines and pseurotin A, were isolated from the culture of Penicillium canescens, collected from pollen from beehives, in a screening for new antimicrobial products from unexplored sources. The structure of the tetrapeptide, which exhibits antifungal activity comparable with that of the commercial product benomyl against the soybean phytopathogen Fusarium virguliforme, was determined by spectroscopic (2D‐NMR, and MS and MS/MS) and chemical methods, and the sequence was confirmed by comparison with authentic synthetic isomeric peptides.     

Formation of glucoside conjugates during biotransformation of dibenzofuran by Penicillium canescens SBUG-M 1139

Penicillium canescens oxidises dibenzofuran (DBF) to produce monohydroxylated derivatives and other more hydrophilic metabolites. These substances are water-soluble but unstable in organic solvents such as ethyl acetate, acetone or dichloromethane. Both extraction with ethyl acetate and enzymatic treatment of the aqueous culture filtrate with beta-glucuronidase led to decay of the hydrophilic metabolites and indicated these products to be glycoside conjugates. The glycosyl residue was identified as glucose both by liquid chromatography and by the use of glucose oxidase. The conjugate pattern formed was the same in type and amount, independent of the carbon source used for cultivation of the fungus. Clearly, DBF transformation in P canescens occurred in two phases: first the conversion to 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxydibenzofuran (phase I), followed by the formation of the corresponding glucosyl conjugates (phase II). In contrast, 2,3-dihydroxydibenzofuran added to the cultures was transformed by ring cleavage producing a muconic acid-like dead-end product.     

Methyl ketone formation during degradation of phenoxybutyric acid by Penicillium canescens SBUG-M 1139

Penicillium canescens SBUG-M 1139 was shown to be able to grow using phenoxybutyric acid as the sole carbon source. The rapid conversion of the phenoxyalkanoic acid resulted in the formation of phenol, which was metabolized completely. These reactions were accompanied by an accumulation of the methyl ketone phenoxypropan-2-one. Furthermore, during the metabolism of phenoxybutyric acid, 4-phenoxy-2,3-dehydrobutyric acid, 4-phenoxy-3-hydroxybutyric acid, phenoxyacetic acid, and phenoxypropan-2-ol accumulated in minor amounts. Clearly, fungi can metabolize phenoxyalkanoic acids to produce methyl ketones in a manner analogous to that used for the conversion of short- or medium-chain fatty acids by fungi. Received: 7 May 1999 / Accepted: 23 August 1999     

Isolation and characterization of extracellular pectin lyase from Penicillium canescens

Pectin lyase A (molecular weight 38 kD by SDS-PAGE, pI 6.7) was purified to homogeneity from culture broth of the mycelial fungus Penicillium canescens using chromatographic techniques. During genomic library screening, the gene encoding pectin lyase A from P. canescens (pelA) was isolated and sequenced, and the amino acid sequence was generated by applying the multiple alignment procedure (360 residues). A theoretical model for the three dimensional structure of the protein molecule was also proposed. Different properties of pectin lyase A were investigated: substrate specificity, pH- and temperature optimum of activity, stability under different pH and temperature conditions, and the effect of Ca2+ on enzyme activity. In the course of the laboratory trials, it was demonstrated that pectin lyase A from P. canescens could be successfully applied to production and clarification of juice.     

变灰青霉线粒体基因组特征及系统发育分析

本研究对一株分离自细虫草上的变灰青霉SFY00C3菌株线粒体基因组进行测定,分析其组成特征,并探究其与青霉属真菌的系统发育关系。结果表明,SFY00C3的线粒体基因组是一条长度为28 301 bp的环状DNA分子,共编码42个基因(15个蛋白编码基因、2个rRNA基因和25个tRNA基因),其碱基组成有显著的A-T偏好性,25个tRNA基因均可形成典型三叶草结构,并存在32处G-U错配。通过青霉属物种间共线性分析发现其线粒体基因组发生了基因重排;共有的14个蛋白编码基因的Ka/Ks值均小于1,表明受到了纯化选择压力的影响;系统发育分析表明：SFY00C3在青霉属中是一个独立的分支,应该是6种青霉祖先的姊妹。本研究丰富了变灰青霉的线粒体基因组序列信息,为青霉属的系统发育、资源保护及遗传多样性研究提供基础数据。     

Isolation and Properties of Major Components of Penicillium canescens Extracellular Enzyme Complex

The composition of the enzyme complex secreted by Penicillium canescens was investigated. A scheme for purification of the main components of the complex by chromatofocusing on a Mono P column was developed. It was found that along with beta-galactosidase, the major components of the complex were endo-beta-1,4-xylanase (31 kD, pI 8.2-9.3), alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase (60 kD, pI 7.6), arabinoxylan-arabinofuranohydrolase (70 kD, pI 3.8-4.0), and endo-beta-1,3/1,4-glucanase (40 kD, pI 4.4). The substrate specificity, pH and temperature activity optima, adsorbability, thermal stability, and ability for synergic interaction of the isolated enzymes were studied.     

Mechanism of Overproduction of Secreted Enzymes in the Mycelial Fungus Penicillium canescens

The fungus Penicillium canescens strain F178 (VKPM) and its niaD ^– mutant exhibited an increased capability of synthesizing extracellular enzymes -galactosidase (50–60 U/ml) and xylanase (100 U/ml). The synthesis was induced by arabinose and its catabolite, arabitol. A deficiency in arabitol dehydrogenase, leading to arabitol accumulation in the cell, was detected in the chain of reactions of arabinose catabolism. The increased synthesis of -galactosidase and xylanase in P. canescens is accounted for by (1) cellular accumulation of the inducer (arabitol) at low concentrations of arabinose in the medium and (2) prevalence of induction over repression.     

Role of Penicillic Acid in the Phytotoxicity of Penicillium cyclopium and Penicillium canescens to the Germination of Corn Seeds

Penicillium cyclopium and Penicillium canescens cultures inhibited the germination of corn. The phytotoxic compound was isolated by solvent extraction and thin-layer chromatography on silica gel. The phytotoxin was identified as penicillic acid by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared spectroscopy. Gas-liquid chromatography on a capillary glass column separated the two epimeric forms of penicillic acid. The maximum production of penicillic acid was obtained with P. cyclopium cultures grown at 25°C. The phytotoxicity of penicillic acid was manifested by its ability to alter the germination of corn. The percent inhibition of germination was directly proportional to the logarithm of the penicillic acid concentration. Growth of the main root was reduced 50% by concentrations of 500 μg/ml.     

Phenotypic manifestation of gene expression encoding xyloglucanase from Penicillium canescens in transgenic aspen plants

Plant xyloglucans play an important role in the processes of cell wall extension, determine their mechanical properties, thus affecting growth and morphology of individual cells and whole organs. Being one of the main components of hemicellulose, xyloglucans play a particular physiological role in woody plants. To study xyloglucan physiological role, transgenic aspen (Populus tremula L.) plants with a recombinant sp-Xeg gene from the fungus Penicillium canescens were produced. Constitutive expression of this gene in the heterologous surrounding was confirmed by RT-PCR method. The analysis of protein extracts from the leaves of greenhouse-grown plants and microshoots grown in vitro showed activation of xylogluconase in transgenic lines. The strongest activation (1.6-fold) was observed in the leaf extracts (clone PtXVXeg1b) and in vitro microshoots (clone PtXVXeg1c). In transgenic plants, the relative content of pentosans in the wood was declined. In control plants (Pt genotype), it was equal to 148 mg/g dry wt, whereas in tested clones (PtXVXeg1a, PtXVXeg1b, and PtXVXeg1c), it varied from 100 to 140 mg/g dry wt. The strongest decrease (by 31%) in the content of pentosans was observed for the line PtXVXeg1c; the content was equal to 102.1 ± 1.5 mg/g dry wt. A comparative analysis of leaf morphology revealed an increase in the length of petiole and a decrease in the length of the main vein in transgenic lines. In control plants, the ratio of the petiole length to the length of the main vein was equal to 0.49, whereas in transgenic plants, it varied from 0.51 to 0.66. A significant increase of this index was observed in 12 from 14 transgenic lines.     

Inductive characteristics of proteins secreted by retinal cells

The studies of the development of eye rudiments and formation of adult eye tissues have always been among priorities in developmental biology and then in developmental genetics, which is associated with the peculiarities of the development and structure of the eye. In the late 80s, it was established by the group of developmental factors of the Institute of Gene Biology of RAS that many differentiated tissues are able to produce proteins causing homologous differentiations in polypotent cells of early gastrula ectoderm. The aim of our present study was isolation of proteins secreted by mammalian and fish retinal cells and determination of their inductive properties in early gastrula ectoderm of Xenopus laevis. The sets of proteins secreted by retina induce tissues homologous to the inducer, that is, neural tissue, brain, retina, pigmented epithelium, and also lenses and ear vesicles. The retinal inductive proteins retain their homologous inductive capacity after lyophilization. Biological testing shows that a total mixture of proteins secreted by retinal cells induces in polypotent gastrula ectoderm of X. laevis a narrower spectrum of tissues than the fractions obtained from this mixture. The above-outlined results obtained in thecourse of investigations of inductive peculiarities of retina and its fractions help in the elucidation of questions concerning embryonic induction and factors determining it, as well as questions concerning the maintenance of tissue specifity and regenerative capacity of the tissue studied.     

Novel enzyme preparations with high pectinase and hemicellulase activity based on Penicillium canescens strains

Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology - Recombinant strains of Penicillium canescens producing homologous pectin lyase A and heterologous endo-1,5-α-arabinase A and...     

Cloning of an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase gene from Penicillium canescens and construction of multicopy strains

The complete gene xylA that encodes endo-1,4-beta-xylanase secreted by Penicillium canescens was cloned and sequenced. The coding region of the gene is separated by eight introns. The protein comprises 302 amino acids of the mature protein and 25 amino acids of the signal peptide. The xylanase of P. canescens belongs to the glycosyl hydrolase family 10. Nucleotide sequences for binding catabolite repression protein CREA and transactivator protein were detected in the promoter region. A set of multicopy strains displaying a seven-eightfold increase in xylanase yield was obtained. The fraction of xylanase in most productive strains amounted to 30-50% of the total secreted protein.