The lipids of Agaricus bisporus.

A comparison of the lipid composition of the vegetative and reproductive stages of Agaricus bisporus revealed no major qualitative differences, although quantitative divergence exist. The glycolipids consisted of acylglucoses, acylmannitol, acyltrehalose and a glucosyloxyfatty acid. Two of the acylglucoses corresponded to a tetra-acylglucose and to either a di- or a triacylglucose. The phospholipids were distinctive in that phosphatidylcholine could not be detected. Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine were the major phosphoglycerides. Examination of the neutral lipids revealed the expected array of acylglycerols, free and esterified sterols, and free fatty acids. A substantial amount (26 to 33%) of the fatty acids of the neutral lipids from both sporophore and mycelium were apparently of chain length greater than C18. Linoleic acid was a minor component of the total neutral-lipid fatty acids but comprised about one-half of the total free fatty acids.     

The Stimulation of Spore Germination in Agaricus bisporus by Living Mycelium

The stimulation of the germination of Agaricus bisporus sporesby mycelium of the same species has been shown to be due toa volatile metabolite, diffusing into the culture medium andinto the atmosphere. A wide range of other fungi has been foundto affect A. bisporus spores in a similar manner. There wasno evidence . that the stimulant was carbon dioxide. A seven-carbonolefin, isolated from air, which had been passed through culturesof A. bisporus mycelium and dried with phosphorus pentoxide,showed germination-stimulating activity but may have been producedby the action of this drying agent on some other metabolitefrom the mycelium. Volatile materials reported by other workersfrom A. bisporus mycelium and from Saccharomyces cereviseaewere tested and, of these, iso-valeric acid and iso-amyl alcoholwere found to stimulate spore germination of A. bisporus     

The Stimulation of Spore Germination in Agaricus bisporus by Organic Acids

Germination of Agaricus bisporus spores is stimulated by vapourdiffusing from dilute solutions of various short-chain fattyacids, especially uo-valeric acid. No increase in germinationwas found in spores treated with succinic acid. All these compoundsinhibited spore germination at concentrations above the optimallevel. An examination of the influence of hydrogen-ion concentrationon germination is also reported. It is suggested that the germination-stimulatingactivity of the acids tested is not a pH effect but is due todirect entry of these compounds into metabolic pathways, particularlythose of fat metabolism. The prominent oil reserves in thesespores suggests a system analogous to that of rust uredospores,the respiration and germination of which is stimulated by short-chainfatty acids, contributing both to the respired carbon dioxideand the for-mation of new cell materials.     

Carboxylierungsreaktionen in Agaricus bisporus

Zusammenfassung In Gegenwart von ATP, Mn^2ü (oder Mg^2ü), CoA und Glutathion fixieren zellfreie Extrakte aus Sporophoren von Agaricus bisporus selbst in Abwesenheit exogener CO₂-Acceptoren in erheblichem Maße Kohlendioxyd. Entsprechend der Hemmbarkeit dieser CO₂-Fixierungsreaktionen durch Avidin und p-Chloromercuribenzoat handelt es sich bei diesen zum mindesten teilweise um durch Biotin-Enzyme katalysierte Vorgänge. Einer der endogenen CO₂-Acceptoren ist sehr washrscheinlich mit aus Isovaleriansäure gebildetem -Methylcrotonyl-CoA identisch.Die experimentellen Ergebnisse werden im Zusammenhang mit den bekannten physiologischen Effekten von CO₂ auf Fruktifikation und Morphogenese des Kulturchampignons diskutiert. Es scheint, daß Biotin-abhängige Carboxylierungsreaktionen eine der biochemischen Grundlagen für den Kontrolleinfluß von Kohlendioxyd im Lebenscyclus von A. bisporus darstellen.

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Carboxylation reactions in Agaricus bisporus I. The endogenous CO₂-acceptor

Summary Cell-free extracts of sporophores of Agaricus bisporus incorporate considerable amounts of carbon dioxide into organic acids even without added substrate, provided that ATP, Mn^2ü or Mg^2ü, Coenzyme A and glutathione are present. These CO₂-fixation reactions are inhibited by avidin and p-chloromercuribenzoate. It is therefore concluded that at least part of these reactions are katalyzed by biotin enzymes. One of the endogenous CO₂-acceptors is probably identical with -methylerotonyl-CoA, formed from isovaleric acid.The experimental results are diseussed in relation to the well-known physiological effects of carbon dioxide on fructification and morphogenesis in the cultivated mushroom. It is suggested that biotin-dependent carboxylations might represent the biochemical basis for the centrolling function of CO₂ in the life cycle of A. bisporus.

     

Spore germination

The germination of dormant spores of Bacillus species is the first crucial step in the return of spores to vegetative growth, and is induced by nutrients and a variety of non-nutrient agents. Nutrient germinants bind to receptors in the spore's inner membrane and this interaction triggers the release of the spore core's huge depot of dipicolinic acid and cations, and replacement of these components by water. These latter events trigger the hydrolysis of the spore's peptidoglycan cortex by either of two redundant enzymes in B. subtilis, and completion of cortex hydrolysis and subsequent germ cell wall expansion allows full spore core hydration and resumption of spore metabolism and macromolecular synthesis.     

Fruiting of Agaricus bisporus

Several enzymes were assayed in extracts from mycelium-colonised compost during growth and fruiting of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach. Comparison of changes of enzyme levels in axenic and nonaxenic cultures and in cultures of non-fruiting strains indicated that they were associated directly with the fungal mycelium. Large changes were found in the amounts of laccase and cellulase which were correlated with fruit body development. Laccase concentration increased during mycelial growth and then declined rapidly at the start of fruiting. Cellulase activity could be detected throughout growth but increased at fruiting. No such changes were observed in xylanase, alkaline protease, laminarinase and acid and alkaline phosphatases. Activities of laccase and cellulase were measured in axenic cultures arrested at various stages of fruiting development. Such cultures showed that the changes in concentration of laccase and cellulase were associated with the enlargement of fruit bodies.     

Characterization of Single Spore Isolates of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach Using Conventional and Molecular Methods

Strains A-15, S11, S-140, and U3 of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach, were used as parent strains for raising single spore homokaryotic isolates. Out of total 1,642 single spore isolates, only 36 single spore isolates were homokaryons and exhibited slow mycelial growth rate (≤2.0 mm/day) and appressed colony morphology. All these SSIs failed to produce pinheads in Petri plates even after 65 days of incubation, whereas the strandy slow growing SSIs along with parent strains were able to form the fructification in petriplates after 30 days. Out of 24, six ISSR primers, exhibited scorable bands. In the ISSR fingerprints, single spore isolates, homokaryons, lacked amplification products at multiple loci; they grow slowly and all of them had appressed types of colony morphology. The study revealed losses of ISSR polymorphic patterns in non-fertile homokaryotic single spore isolates compared to the parental control or fertile heterokaryotic single spore isolates.     

Biosynthese von Mannitol in Agaricus bisporus

Zusammenfassung Zellfreie Extrakte aus Fruchtkörpern von Agaricus bisporus katalysieren eine NADPH-abhängige Reduktion freier Fructose zu Mannitol. In vivo werden neben diesem Zucker auch andere Monosen in den Hexit eingebaut; die entsprechenden Inkorporationsraten sind jedoch gering (für Mannose 11%, Glucose 7% und Xylose 2%, bezogen auf diejenige von Fructose = 100%). Auch die Mannitolbildung aus Glucose erfolgt über Fructose als Zwischenprodukt, und ein alternativer Syntheseweg, Reduktion von Glucose zu Sorbitol und dessen Epimerisierung zu Mannitol beinhaltend, scheint nicht realisiert zu werden, obschon es gelang, Spuren von Sorbitol gaschromatographisch nachzuweisen. Im Kulturchampignon ist demnach freie Fructose als obligater Präkursor von Mannitol zu betrachten.Die experimentellen Resultate werden im Zusammenhang mit unseren gegenwärtigen Kenntnissen über den Kohlenhydratstoffwechsel von A. bisporus diskutiert.

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Biosynthesis of mannitol in Agaricus bisporus

Summary In cell-free extracts of fruiting bodies of A. bisporus mannitol is shown to be synthesized by a NADPH-dependent reduction of free fructose. In vivo other monoses are also incorporated into the mannitol skeleton, but to a much lesser extent. Formation of this hexitol from glucose proceeds through fructose as an intermediate, whereas mannitol synthesis by a pathway involving reduction of glucose to sorbitol and epimerization of the latter to the polyol in question does not seem to occur, although it was shown that sorbitol exists in the common mushroom. Therefore, fructose would appear to be the obligate precursor of mannitol in this fungus. The experimental results are integrated into the picture of our present knowledge of carbohydrate metabolism in A. bisporus.

     

Respiratory pathways in Agaricus bisporus and Scytalidium thermophilum

Abstract The respiratory pathways of Agaricus bisporus and Scytalidium thermophilum were studied. A. bisporus appeared to possess both a cyanide-sensitive and a cyanide-insensitive respiration while in S. thermophilum the cyande-insensitive respiration was absent. Growth experiments showed the ecological advantage for A. bisporus under conditions where cytochrome mediated respiration is inhibited.     

Spore germination in Dictyostelium discoideum

Mutant spores of Dictyostelium discoideum, strain SG-10, differ from wild type spores in their ability to spontaneously germinate, to be activated with 5% dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO), and to be deactivated with 0.2 M sucrose. Both heat-activated wild type and mutant spores began to swell after a lag of 60–75 min at ambient temperature. Suspension of heat activated spores in 5% DMSO resulted in blockage of spore swelling and a concomitant severe inhibition of respiration; removal of 5% DMSO allowed resumption of respiration and the spores began to swell after a lag of only 15 min. It was concluded that 5% DMSO allowed the early reactions (M) to proceed but blocked the later reactions (R) of post-activation lag.Treatment of one day old spores with 20% DMSO solution for 30–120 min quantitatively activated the population. The post-activation lag time was directly dependent on the time of 20% DMSO treatment. Spores activated with 20% DMSO treatment could be deactivated by incubation at 0°C; the spores most quickly deactivated at 0°C were those within 10 min of swelling. Mitochondrial transport inhibitors such as azide and cyanide caused deactivation in an analogous manner. It is hypothesized that spores proceed to the second portion of the lag phase called (R) before the environment determines if dormancy is reimposed or if germination will proceed. The sensitive strain (SG-10) showed a greater degree of damage than the wild type after supraoptimal treatment with 40% DMSO. The spores became more resistant with age to the damaging action of 40% DMSO. All the observed effects of DMSO treatment were compatible with our multistate model of activation which suggests that the early portion of the lag phase (M) may involve a relative uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation while the later portion (R) may require tight coupling.     

2-amino-2-deoxy-D-erythrose in Agaricus bisporus

2-Amino-2-deoxy-D-erythrose was isolated from the cell wall of the fruit body of Agaricus bisporus. The structure of the amino sugar was determined by mass spectrography and 1H-NMR spectrography of its acetylated derivative and by paper chromatographic comparisons with authentic 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-erythrose. This amino sugar is a component of the glycoprotein fraction from the cell wall. Its content in the glycoprotein increased markedly, especially during the ripening stage of the fruit body.     

Double-stranded ribonucleic acid in Agaricus bisporus.

Double-stranded ribonucleic acid present in virus-infected mushrooms of Agaricus bisporus has been resolved through polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into six molecular-weight forms. Identification of these six double-stranded ribonucleic acids in mushrooms by this procedure has proven to be a useful and diagnostic method for viral infection in the cultivated mushroom.     

Germination of basidiospores of Agaricus bisporus

The type of dormancy and conditions necessary for germination of Agaricus bisporus basidiospores (BS) were studied. BS failed to germinate on starvation agar and required the presence of carbon and nitrogen (asparagine and/or glucose) sources in the medium. Upon 3-week storage, BS germinated after 4-5 days. Heat shock (20 min at 45 degrees C) and the decreased temperature facilitated activation of germination. Heterocyclic compounds stimulating germination of endogenously dormant spores, such as furfural, failed to activate germination. The data obtained suggested an endogenous dormancy of A. bisporus BS differing from zygospores of Mucorales. BS contained 17-19% lipids with a composition of fatty acids differing from those of pileus and stipe of the fruiting body. The soluble carbohydrates of the cytosol amounted to 12% dry spore weight and consisted of mannitol (74%) and trehalose (26%). Unlike BS stored at 2 degrees C, the BS stored for 5 months at 20 degrees C lost their ability to germinate, which correlated with a decrease in the content of trehalose.     

NMR lipid profile of Agaricus bisporus

Lipids extracted from freeze dried and powdered cultivated Agaricus bisporus by the Bligh and Dwyer method, were subjected to 1D-proton and 2D-COSY NMR analysis. The diacylglycerophospholipids, mono-, di- and tri-glycerides, ether lipids, sphingolipids and steroidal lipids were studied qualitatively and quantitatively. Our findings suggested that (a) ethanolamines and cholines were the predominant diacylphospholipids, (b) sterols, mainly ergosterol, were present in relatively large quantities and (c) the phospholipid fatty acid composition consisted almost exclusively of linoleic acid. This type of detailed data on lipid composition was accurately and rapidly obtained in one step, without chemical modification of the sample. Additional information on four classes of lipid, including their fatty acid composition was obtained after separating the total lipid extract by NH₂-aminopropyl Certify II Bond Elut solid phase chromatography and analysing the NMR spectra of each class of lipids. The results demonstrated the potential of the method for the study of plant metabolism, development and taxonomy.     

Germination of Basidiospores of Agaricus bisporus

The type of dormancy and conditions necessary for germination of Agaricus bisporus basidiospores were studied. Basidiospores failed to germinate on starvation agar and required the presence of carbon and nitrogen sources (asparagine and/or glucose) in the medium. Upon 3-week storage, basidiospores germinated after 4–5 days. Heat shock (20 min at 45°C) and decreased temperature facilitated activation of germination. Heterocyclic compounds stimulating germination of endogenously dormant spores, such as furfural, failed to activate germination. The data obtained suggested an endogenous dormancy of A. bisporus basidiospores differing from zygospores of Mucorales. Basidiospores contained 17–19% lipids with a composition of fatty acids differing from those of the pileus and stipe of the fruiting body. The soluble carbohydrates of the cytosol amounted to 12% dry spore weight and consisted of mannitol (74%) and trehalose (26%). Unlike basidiospores stored at 2°C, basidiospores stored for 5 months at 20°C lost their ability to germinate, which correlated with a decrease in the content of trehalose.