A note onStreptomyces No. 6, a chitosanase-producing actinomycete

This communication reports the deposit ofStreptomyces No. 6 in the National Collection of Industrial Bacteria, Aberdeen, AB2 1RY, Scotland, UK (Accession number 13037) and gives some references on its use in lysing cell walls of fungi in the Mucorales leading to protoplast formation. Its use in biotechnological fields is also referred to.     

Biosurfactant production by Mucor circinelloides: Environmental applications and surface‐active properties

Biosurfactants are structurally a diverse group of surface‐active molecules widely used for various purposes in industry. In this study, among 120 fungal isolates, M‐06 was selected as a superior biosurfactant producer, based on different standard methods, and was identified as Mucor circinelloides on the basis of its nucleotide sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene. M. circinelloides reduced the surface tension to 26 mN/m and its EI₂₄ index was determined to be 66.6%. The produced biosurfactant exhibited a high degree of stability at a high temperature (121°C), salinity (40 g/L), and acidic pH (2–8). The fermentation broth's ability to recover oil from contaminated sand was 2 and 1.8 times higher than those of water and Tween 80, respectively. The ability of biosurfactant to emulsify crude oil in the sea and fresh water was 64.9 and 48% respectively. This strain could remove 87.6% of crude oil in the Minimal Salt Medium (MSM) crude oil as the sole carbon source. The results from a primary chemical characterization of crude biosurfactant suggest that it is of a glycolipid nature. The strain and its biosurfactant could be used as a potent candidate in bioremediation of oil‐contaminated water, soil, and for oil recovery processes.     

Function and regulation of the acid and neutral trehalases of Mucor rouxii

Two different trehalose-hydrolysing activities, known as acid or non-regulatory trehalases, and neutral or regulatory trehalases, have been recognised in a number of fungal species. The true role of these apparently redundant hydrolases remained obscure for many years. However, recent evidence suggests that neutral trehalases would be specialised in the mobilisation of cytosolic trehalose, while acid trehalases would only hydrolyse extracellular trehalose. Results obtained with Mucor rouxii, a Zygomycete initially thought to posses only neutral trehalase activity, reinforced this hypothesis. M. rouxii grows efficiently in trehalose as the sole carbon source. Trehalose-grown or carbon-starved cells exhibit a high trehalase activity of optimum pH 4.5, bound to the external surface of the cell wall, in contrast with the neutral (pH 6.5) trehalase, which occurs in the cytosol. Other differences between the neutral and the acid trehalases are the temperature optimum (35°C and 45°C, respectively) and thermal stability (half-life of 2.5 min and 12 min at 45°C, respectively). The neutral trehalase, but not the acid trehalase, is activated in vitro by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation, stimulated by Ca²⁺, and inhibited by EDTA. It shows maximal activity at germination and decreases as growth proceeds. In contrast the activity of the acid trehalase is totally repressed in glucose-grown cultures and increases upon exhaustion of the carbon source, and is strongly induced by extracellular trehalose.     

Fungal hydroxylation of (−)-santonin and its analogues

Santonin (1) was incubated with separate growing cultures of Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142, Mucor plumbeus ATCC 4740, Whetzelinia sclerotiorum ATCC 18687, Cunninghamella echinulata var. elegans ATCC 8688a and Phanerochaete chrysosporium ATCC 24725. Three novel metabolites were isolated: 11β,13-dihydroxysantonin (3), 6,7-dehydosantonin (5) and 3,6-dihydroxy-9-keto-9,10-seco-selina-1,3,5(10)-trien-12-oic acid-12,6-lactone (7). 11β-Hydroxysantonin (2), 14-hydroxysantonin (4) and 3,6,9-trihydroxy-9,10-seco-selina-1,3,5(10)-trien-12-oic acid-12,6-lactone (6) were also isolated. Hydroxylation at C-9 followed by a retro-aldol reaction was postulated to have produced 6 and 7. Through the synthesis and fermentation of the santonin analogues: tetrahydrosantonin (8) and α-desmotroposantonin (12), several new compounds were obtained; the most significant being 9-keto-desmotroposantonin (14), which was indicative of C-9 monohydroxylation.     

Mucor hiemalis: a new source for uricase production

Summary One hundred and sixty-five strains of microorganisms with the ability to grow in a medium containing uric acid as a major source of nitrogen were isolated from soil samples during a screening program. Among them, a zygomycete fungus with well-developed columellae was recognized to produce high levels of the enzyme in a short time. Classification of the isolated fungus was carried out according to the morphological and culture characteristics of the organism, and it was identified as Mucor hiemalis. The fungus was able to produce an intracellular urate oxidase in a fermentation medium mainly containing uric acid. Optimized composition of the medium consisted of (l⁻¹ of distilled water) uric acid, 7.0 g; maltose, 6.0 g; Vogel stock solution, 20 and 1 ml of 0.5 M copper sulphate. The optimum pH and temperature for uricase production in the optimized medium were pH 6 and 30 °C, respectively.     

Identification of morin and other compounds as inhibitors of the malic enzyme of Mucor circinelloides in vitro but not in vivo

Of 13 compounds tested, 11 inhibited malic enzyme activity in Mucor circinelloides, to some degree, at 5 mM. Four of these inhibitors (tartronic acid, morin, catechin and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid) were studied further. Tartronic acid, morin and catechin were competitive inhibitors of malic enzyme (with respect to malate), with apparent K_i values of 0.04 mM, 5 μM and 0.6 mM, respectively. 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid was a non-competitive inhibitor, with respect to malate, and had an apparent K_i value of 0.8 mM. Morin and tartronic acid did not inhibit any other NADPH-generating enzyme studied, although both inhibited malate dehydrogenase. The inhibitory actions of catechin and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid were less specific. All four compounds inhibited malic enzyme, to some extent, when included in the culture medium. This inhibition was not as great as in vitro however and was insufficient to have an effect on lipid metabolism in M. circinelloides. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国毛霉的三个新记录种

报道了中国毛霉属的三个新记录并对它们进行了描述和简短的讨论。它们是：Mucor hiemalis f.luteus, Mucor racemosus f. chibinensis.和Mucor racemosus f. sphaerosporus.     

Asymmetric bioreduction of p-haloacetophenones by Mucor

Abstract

A number of p-haloacetophenones were asymmetrically bioreduced to their corresponding (S)-alcohols by Mucor sp. CG10 with good conversion and excellent enantioselectivity. The results showed that the electronic effects of the halogen substituent (X-group) affected the conversion of the substrates and the enantioselectivity of the reaction. The trend observed was as the X-group at the para-position became more electron donating from F, to Cl, Br and I, the conversion of substrates decreased, while the enantioselectivity increased.     

A comparison of the chitin synthase-inhibitory and antifungal efficacy of nucleoside-peptide antibiotics: structure-activity relationships

Abstract Using Mucor rouxii , the chitin synthase (ChS)-inhibitory and antifungal activity was determined of 6 nucleoside-peptide antibiotics (NPAs) representing pairs of structural analogues, each consisting of a dipeptide (DP) and a corresponding tripeptide (TP). These were the nikkomycins X and I (X, I), the nikkomycins Z and J (Z, J), and the polyoxins D and A (D, A). Although all were very good ChS-inhibitors (X and A being best, with K _i approx. 0.5 μM), only X and Z elicited a strong response in vivo as determined by the degree of inhibition exerted on N -acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) incorporation into the chitin fraction, the survival rate, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The MIC values were about 2 μM (for X and Z) and 100 μM (for I, J, D and A). Certain DPs and TPs reduced the antifungal activity of X, the effect being much more pronounced with DPs. It is suggested that uptake of NPAs involves the transpeptidase reaction of the γ-glutamyl cycle, the observed antagonism thus resulting from competition for a common carrier.