A toxic amino acid, 2(S)3(R)-2-amino-3-hydroxypent-4-ynoic acid from the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii

An amino acid, lethal to New Hampshire chickens (LD₅₀, 150 mg/kg) was isolated from dried sclerotia of the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.). Purification of the rather unstable compound was effected on a cation exchange column by means of displacement chromatography and the amino acid was crystallised from 80% methanol. A structure was assigned to the compound on the basis of available chemical and physical data, namely 2(S),3(R)-2- amino-3-hydroxypent-4-ynoic acid. Confirmation of this structure was gained by direct and indirect synthetic procedures.     

A 13C NMR study of the biosynthesis of the anthraquinone dothistromin by Dothistroma pini

A ¹³C-NMR study of the biosynthesis of dothistromin by Dothistroma pini was undertaken. The biosynthetic labelling pattern in this bistetrahydr     

Direct measurement of the yield stress of filamentous fermentation broths with the rotating vane technique

The existence of a yield stress in filamentous fermentation broths has important transport phenomena implications in the design and operation of bioreactors. In this study, the constant shear rate vane method was assessed for directly measuring the yield stress of filamentous Aspergillus niger fermentation broths, as well as model fluids (ketchup, yogurt, and pulp suspensions). The method involved rotating 4-, 6-, and 8-bladed vanes (7.2 cm 相似文献   

Fungi from decaying intertidal fronds of Nypa fruticans, including three new genera and four new species

HYDE, K. D., 1992. Fungi from decaying fronds of Nypa fruticans, including three new genera and four new species. Decaying fronds and exposed stems of the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans were collected from beaches and intertidal regions of mangroves in Brunei and examined for the presence of higher marine fungi. Forty-three species were identified, four of which are new to science. The fungi included 32 Ascomycotina, one Basidiomycotina and ten Deuteromycotina. Three new genera and four new species are described and illustrated.     

Impact of salinity stress on soil-borne fungi of sugarbeet

The sugarbeet cultivar Kaumera was found to be highly susceptible to infection by the root-rot pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii in the absence of salinity stress. Under this environmental condition, R. solani was more efficient than S. rolfsii in producing cell wall-degrading enzymes in infected hypocotyls. Xylanase and galactanase were most effective. The rate of cell wall degradation by R. solani was nearly 2.5 times that of S. rolfsii when cells walls of healthy hypocotyls were used as sole carbon substrate for the in vitro produced crude enzymes.Under salinity stress the pathogenicity and the performance of cell wall-degrading enzymes of R. solani and S. rolfsii varied profoundly. Pathogenicity studies showed that R. solani appeared to be more tolerant than S. rolfsii of the salinity stresses applied, and relatively more virulent to cv Kaumera. The activities of cell wall enzymes of R. solani decreased and those of S. rolfsii increased with increased salt concentration when cell wall material was used as a sole carbon source. The metabolic products produced under salinity stress by R. solani and R. solani in the cell wall amended culture media shifted the initial pH towards neutrality or slight alkalinity for R. solani and to high acidity for S. rolfsii.When model substrates were used, xyland and galactan were the most responsive substrates for degradation by the cell wall enzymes of the two fungi studied. The rate of degradation was higher for S. rolfsii than for R. solani. The excessive acidity in salt stressed S. rolfsii culture media suggested reduced activities of the enzymes involved in cell wall degradation in vivo. This may explain the decreased virulence potentialities.     

The vacuolar ATPase ofNeurospora crassa

The filamentous fungusNeurospora crassa has many small vacuoles which, like mammalian lysosomes, contain hydrolytic enzymes. They also store large amounts of phosphate and basic amino acids. To generate an acidic interior and to drive the transport of small molecules, the vacuolar membranes are densely studded with a proton-pumping ATPase. The vacuolar ATPase is a large enzyme, composed of 8–10 subunits. These subunits are arranged into two sectors, a complex of peripheral subunits called V₁ and an integral membrane complex called V₀. Genes encoding three of the subunits have been isolated.vma-1 andvma-2 encode polypeptides homologous to the and subunits of F-type ATPases. These subunits appear to contain the sites of ATP binding and hydrolysis.vma-3 encodes a highly hydrophobic polypeptide homologous to the proteolipid subunit of vacuolar ATPases from other organisms. This subunit may form part of the proton-containing pathway through the membrane. We have examined the structures of the genes and attempted to inactivate them.     

Association of soybean root mycoflora with root modulation, root necrosis and plant fresh weight

Fungi were isolated from soybean plants in ten fields in south-west France. Correspondence analysis (COA) was used to find associations among taxa (species, genera, groups) and sampling units (i.e. one field at one sampling date). The first axis of the COA demonstrated a dominant sampling date effect; the second indicated an association among certain sampling units and specific taxa. Regression analysis of COA coordinate values indicated that fields with high relative isolation frequencies of Fusarium spp., F. oxysporum and ‘other species’ (mostly Chaetomium spp. and sterile fungi) were characterised by greater plant fresh weight and nodule number and lower ratings for root necrosis. Cylindrocarpon spp., Cephalosporium spp. and F. solanihad high relative isolation frequencies in fields with lower plant weight, lower nodule number and higher root necrosis ratings. The relative importance of fungal taxa was also related to soil type.     

Bioenergetic consequences of glucoamylase production in carbon-limited chemostat cultures ofAspergillus niger

Aspergillus niger has been grown in glucose- and maltose-limited continuous cultures to determine the bioenergetic consequences of the production of the extracellular enzyme glucoamylase. Growth yields (g biomass per mol substrate) were high, indicating that growth was very efficient and protein production for biomass was not exceedingly energy consuming. It has been found that the energy costs for the production of this extracellular enzyme is very high. Depending on the efficiency of energy conservation the glucoamylase protein yield on ATP is between 1.3 and 2.6 g protein per mol ATP, which is equal or less than 10% of the theoretical maximum of 25.5. These high energy costs most probably have to be invested in the process of excretion. A comparison between an industrial over-producing strain and the wild typeAspergillus niger showed that this over-producing strain most probably is a regulatory mutant. Two regions of specific growth rates could be determined (one at specific growth rates lower and one at specific growth rates higher than 0.1 h^-1), which are characterized by differences in mycelium morphology and a significant deviation from linearity in the linear equation for substrate utilization. Analysis of the region of specific growth rates higher than 0.1 h^-1 yielded maintenance requirements of virtual zero. It has been concluded that for a good analysis of the growth behaviour of filamentour fungi the linear equation for substrate utilization is not suitable, since it contains no term for the process of differentiation.