Chitinase but N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase production correlates to the biomass decline in Penicillium and Aspergillus species

Abstract

Hydrolytic enzyme production is typical of the autolysis in filamentous fungi; however, less attention has been given to the physiological role of the enzymes. Here, the aim was to investigate the possible relation of the chitinolytic enzymes to the changes in the biomass in some filamentous fungi of high importance for pharmaceutical or food industry. In Penicillium and Aspergillus filamentous fungi, which showed different characteristics in submerged cultures, the growth and biomass decline rates were calculated and correlated to the chitinase and N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase enzyme productions. Correlation was found between the biomass decrease rate and the chitinase level at the stationary growth phase; while, chitinase production covariates negatively with N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activities. The chitinase production and the intensive autolysis hindered the production of Nacetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and, therefore, could hinder the cell death in the cultures.

Autolytic hydrolases affect sexual and asexual development of Aspergillus nidulans

“…Among the autolytic hydrolases of Aspergillus nidulans, which are produced by autolytic cultures, ChiB endochitinase, EngA -1,3endoglucanase, PrtA serine proteinase and PepJ metallo proteinase are notable and relatively well-characterized in terms of their physiological functions. For example, ChiB and EngA are responsible for autolytic cell wall degradation and, as a consequence, for fragmentation of hyphae, disorganization of pellets and autolytic loss of biomass observed in carbon-starved cultures (van Munster et al 2016;Pócsi et al 2009;Pusztahelyi et al 2006;Pusztahelyi and Pócsi 2014;Szilágyi et al 2010). Nevertheless, although PrtA and PepJ proteinases represent more than 50 % of extracellular protease activity in carbon starved cultures these hydrolases have no significant effect on autolytic cell wall degradation (van Munster et al 2016;Szilágyi et al 2011).…”

The N‐acetylglucosamine catabolic gene cluster in Trichoderma reesei is controlled by the Ndt80‐like transcription factor RON1

“…The roles of chitinases in these processes, and their gene expression, have been studied in several fungal species, e.g. Aspergillus nidulans (Pusztahelyi et al, 2006;Emri et al, 2008;Pócsi et al, 2009;Shin et al, 2009), Neurospora crassa (Tzelepis et al, 2012), Trichoderma atroviride and T. virens (Gruber and Seidl-Seiboth, 2012), and Penicillium chrysogenum (Sámi et al, 2001;Kamerewerd et al, 2011;Pusztahelyi and Pócsi, 2014). The data suggest that several chitinases Accepted 19 October, 2015 have dual roles and are involved in the degradation of extracellular chitin as well as remodeling and recycling of cell wall chitin during different growth stages (Gruber and Seidl-Seiboth, 2012).…”

The influence of tin ions on growth and enzymatic activity of entomopathogenic fungi

“…While this may significantly accelerate the infection and development of insect mycoses, this response may also represent the manifestation of the defense mechanism of these microorganisms. According to Pusztahelyi et al [38], NAG is a high molecular-weight hydrolytic lysosomal enzyme, which breaks chemical bonds of glycosides and amino sugars that form structural components in many tissues. NAG is necessary for the degradation and disposal of various parts of the cell, including the cell membranes.…”