Autolysis and aging of Penicillium chrysogenum cultures under carbon starvation: Chitinase production and antifungal effect of allosamidin

László Sámi; Tünde Pusztahelyi; Tamás Emri; Zoltán Varecza; Andrea Fekete; Ágnes Grallert; Zsolt Karányi; László Kiss; István Pócsi

doi:10.2323/jgam.47.201

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Autolysis and aging of Penicillium chrysogenum cultures under carbon starvation: Chitinase production and antifungal effect of allosamidin

László Sámi, Tünde Pusztahelyi, Tamás Emri, Zoltán Varecza, Andrea Fekete, Ágnes Grallert, Zsolt Karányi, László Kiss, István Pócsi

Author information

László Sámi
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Tünde Pusztahelyi
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Tamás Emri
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Zoltán Varecza
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Andrea Fekete
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Ágnes Grallert
Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
Zsolt Karányi
First Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen
László Kiss
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen
István Pócsi
Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Debrecen

Keywords: allosamidin, autolysis, chitinase, cryptic growth, glutathione, hyphal fragmentation, Penicillium chrysogenum, zymogen activation

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2001 Volume 47 Issue 4 Pages 201-211

DOI https://doi.org/10.2323/jgam.47.201

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Abstract

In carbon-depleted cultures of Penicillium chrysogenum, age-related chitinases were shown to play a crucial role in both autolysis and fragmentation as indicated by in vivo enzyme inhibition experiments using allosamidin. This pseudotrisaccharide even hindered significantly the outgrowth of new hyphal tips from the surviving yeastlike fragments after glucose supplementation. The antifungal effect of allosamidin on autolyzing P. chrysogenum mycelia was fungistatic rather than fungicidal. In growing hyphae, membrane-bound microsomal chitinase zymogen(s) were detected, which may be indicative of some compartmentalization of these hydrolases. Later, during autolysis, no zymogenic chitinase was detected in any enzyme fraction studied, including microsomes. These observations may explain the different sensitivity of growing and autolyzing mycelia to allosamidin. Chitinases taking part in the age-related fragmentation of hyphae and the outgrowth of surviving hyphal fragments seem to be potent targets for future antifungal drug research.

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