Summary
A mutant of Aspergillus nidulans lacking galactose phosphate-UDP glucose transferase could not grow on galactose but incorporated this sugar into cell constituents when supplied with another carbon source. 75% of the radioactivity taken up was found in the galactose and glucose monomers of the hyphal wall. Most of the remaining label was in a cytoplasmic polysaccharide and in free galactose and galactose phosphate. The composition of the cytoplasmic polysaccharide resembled that of the wall polymers. These findings are taken to indicate that enzymes not connected with the Leloir pathway can activate and epimerise galactose and that polymeric wall precursors may be present in the cytoplasm. The specific labelling obtained with galactose was combined with radioautography to show that glucose and galactose containing polymers are incorporated into the hyphal wall at the growing tip.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Avigad, G., Amaral, D., Asensio, C., Horecker, B. L.: The d-galactose oxidase of Polyporus circinatus. J. biol. Chem. 237, 2736–2743 (1962).
Bandurski, R. S., Axelrod, B.: The chromatographic identification of some biologically important phosphate esters. J. biol. Chem. 193, 405–410 (1952).
Bartnicki-Garcia, S.: Cell wall chemistry, morphogenesis and taxonomy of fungi. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 22, 87–108 (1968).
— Lippman, E.: Fungal morphogenesis: Cell wall construction in Mucor rouxii. Science 165, 302–304 (1969).
Dische, Z., Borenfreund, E.: A new colour reaction for the determination of aldopentoses in the presence of other saccharides. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 23, 639–642 (1957).
Gatt, R., Berman, E. R.: A rapid procedure for the estimation of aminosugars on a microscale. Analyt. Biochem. 15, 167–171 (1966).
Johnson, J. R.: The composition of the cell wall of Aspergillus niger. Biochem. J. 96, 651–658 (1965).
Katz, D., Rosenberger, R. F.: A mutation in Aspergillus nidulans producing hyphal walls which lack chitin. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 208, 452–460 (1970).
Lindberg, M.: Stimulating effect of xylose on the utilisation of galactose in some fungi. Nature (Lond.) 213, 395–396 (1967).
Mahadevan, P. R., Tatum, E. L.: Relationship of the major constituents of the Neurospora crassa cell wall to wild type and colonial morphology. J. Bact. 90, 1073–1081 (1965).
Marchant, R., Smith, D. G.: A serological investigation of hyphal growth in Fusarium culmorum. Arch. Mikrobiol. 63, 85–94 (1968).
McClure, Katharine W., Park, D., Robinson, P. M.: Apical organisation in the somatic hyphae of fungi. J. gen. Microbiol. 50, 177–182 (1968).
Park, J. T., Johnson, M. J.: A submicrodetermination of glucose. J. biol. Chem. 181, 149–151 (1949).
Rapin, A. M. C., Mayer, H.: Complex of polysaccharides in different strains of E. coli K-12. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 133, 425–437 (1966).
Roberts, C. F.: Gene enzyme relationships of the galactose sequence in Aspergillus nidulans. Genetics 50, 279 (1964).
— Enzyme lesions in galactose non-utilising mutants of Aspergillus nidulans. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 201, 267–283 (1970).
Robertson, N. F.: The mechanism of cellular extension and branching. In: The Fungi, Vol. 1, pp. 613–623. Ed. G. C. Ainsworth and A. S. Sussman. New York: Academic Press 1965.
Rosenberger, R. F., Kessel, M.: Synchrony of nuclear replication in individual hyphae of Aspergillus nidulans. J. Bact. 94, 1464–1469 (1967).
Ruiz-Herrera, J.: The composition of the cell wall of Aspergillus species. Arch. Biochem. 122, 118–125 (1967).
Smith, I.: Sugars and related compounds. In: Chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques, Vol. 1, pp. 246–260. Ed. I. Smith. London: Heineman 1960.
Trevelyan, W. E., Harrison, J. S.: Studies on yeast metabolism. I. Fractionation and microdetermination of cell carbohydrates. Biochem. J. 50, 298–303 (1952).
Westphal, O., Jann, K.: Bacterial lipopolysaccharides. In: Methods in Carbohydrate Chemistry, Vol. 5, pp. 83–91. Ed. R. L. Whistler. New York: Academic Press 1965.
Zalokar, M.: Growth and differentiation of Neurospora hyphae. Amer. J. Bot. 46, 602–610 (1959).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Katz, D., Rosenberger, R.F. The utilisation of galactose by an Aspergillus nidulans mutant lacking galactose phosphate-UDP glucose transferase and its relation to cell wall synthesis. Arch. Mikrobiol. 74, 41–51 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408686
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408686