Regulation of pyruvate carboxylase of penicillium camemberti by the adenylate system

Abstract

The chapter focuses on the physiology and metabolic controls of fungal growth. The chapter considers those areas of fungal physiology and biochemistry that have been researched in depth, and attempts to indicate areas that are unexplored. In addition, it explains the modulation of fungal metabolism in response to growth conditions. Palpable absences from this chapter are references to “secondary” or “shunt” metabolism, at which fungi are most adept, and to the metabolic control of differentiation: in both of these areas, notable advances have been made in recent years. The chapter also considers some aspects of macromolecule synthesis, particularly the synthesis of RNA and protein, in terms of overall rate-limiting processes in fungal growth. Strain instability also has plagued the efforts of the fungal physiologist, and this has been an acute problem in relation to the Fungi Imperfecti many of which are of major interest in the context of commercial fermentations.