2004 Volume 53 Issue 8 Pages 387-398
Spiculisporic acid (a biosurfactant produced by Penicillium spiculisporum) is used in the preparation of detergents, gelation agents, coloring agents for concrete, vesicle forming agents, etc. The effects of biosurfactant and synthetic surfactants (SDS and LAS) were assessed for the first time in this study at the genomic level by yeast DNA microarray bioassay. Hierarchical clustering showed spiculisporic acid to be close to LAS and SDS. The effects of spiculisporic acid on yeast cells would thus appear basically the same as those of LAS and SDS. Gene induction by spiculisporic acid was particularly remarkable in functional categories of “metabolism”, while “cell rescue defense and virulence” and “energy” categories differed from those with SDS and LAS. Thus, spiculisporic acid and SDS might be metabolized via beta-oxidation in two different organelles, mitocondria and peroxisome, respectively. This would explain the low oxidative stress with spiculisporic acid, versus the high oxidative stress with SDS.
