Resistance of Penicillium piceum F-648 to hydrogen peroxide under short term and prolonged oxidative stress

Abstract

Resistance of Penicillium piceum F-648 to hydrogen peroxide under short-term and prolonged oxidative stress was studied. An increase in the activity of intracellular catalase in fungal cells after short-term exposure to hydrogen peroxide was shown. Activation of fungal cells induced by H2O2 depends on H2O2 concentration, time of exposure, and the growth phase of the fungus. Variants of P. piceum F-648 that produced two forms of extracellular catalase with different catalytic properties were obtained due to prolonged adaptation to H2O2. Catalase with low affinity for substrate was produced predominantly by the parent culture and variant 3; however, a high substrate affinity of catalase was observed in variant 5. Variant 5 of P. peniceum F-648 displayed a high catalytic activity and operational stability of catalase in the presence of phosphate ions and the concentration of substrate less than 30 mM at pH more than 7.