Regulation of specific activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase in Penicillium chrysogenum

Abstract The specific activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase changed when Penicillium chrysogenum was grown on different carbon sources. In the presence of 2% lactose, the activities of these enzymes were approximately 25–35% lower than those in media containing 2% glucose or 2% fructose. We assume that an increase in cAMP concentration was responsible for the observed decreases in the enzyme activities, because a higher cAMP concentration could be detected when the mycelium was grown in a medium containing solely lactose as carbon source. The likely role played by cAMP in the regulation was also demonstrated by the addition of either cAMP or caffeine to the medium.