Extracellular Hydrolases Research Articles

Aspergillus flavus hydrolases: their roles in pathogenesis and substrate utilization

Aspergillus flavus is a fungus that principally obtains resources for growth in a saprophytic mode. Yet, it also possesses the characteristics of an opportunistic pathogen with a wide, non-specific host range (plants, animals, and insects). It has attained a high level of agricultural significance due to production of the carcinogen aflatoxin, which significantly reduces the value of contaminated crops. To access a large variety of nutrient substrates and penetrate host tissues, A. flavus possesses the capacity to produce numerous extracellular hydrolases. Most work on A. flavus hydrolases has focused on the serine and metalloproteinases, pectinase P2c, and amylase. Many hydrolases are presumed to function in polymer degradation and nutrient capture, but the regulation of hydrolase secretion is complex and substrate dependent. Proteinases are employed not only to help access protein substrates, such as elastin that is found in mammals and insects, but may also play roles in fungal defense and virulence. Secretion of the endopolygalacturonase P2c is strongly correlated with isolate virulence (against plants) and maceration of cotton boll tissues. In some hosts, secretion of alpha-amylase is critical for starch digestion and may play a critical role in induction of aflatoxin biosynthesis. Despite a significant body of work, much remains to be learned about hydrolase production and utilization by A. flavus. This information may be critical for the formulation of successful strategies to control aflatoxin contamination in affected commodities.

Purification and characterization of two cold-adapted extracellular tannin acyl hydrolases from an Antarctic strain Verticillium sp. P9

Two extracellular tannin acyl hydrolases (TAH I and TAH II) produced by an Antarctic filamentous fungus Verticillium sp. P9 were purified to homogeneity (7.9- and 10.5-fold with a yield of 1.6 and 0.9%, respectively) and characterized. TAH I and TAH II are multimeric (each consisting of approximately 40 and 46 kDa sub-units) glycoproteins containing 11 and 26% carbohydrates, respectively, and their molecular mass is approximately 155 kDa. TAH I and TAH II are optimally active at pH of 5.5 and 25 and 20 degrees C, respectively. Both the enzymes were activated by Mg(2+)and Br(-) ions and 0.5-2.0 M urea and inhibited by other metal ions (Zn(2+), Cu(2+), K(+), Cd(2+), Ag(+), Fe(3+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), Hg(2+), Pb(2+) and Sn(2+)),[Formula: see text] anions, Tween 20, Tween 60, Tween 80, Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulphate, beta-mercaptoethanol, alpha-glutathione and 4-chloromercuribenzoate. Both tannases more efficiently hydrolyzed tannic acid than methyl gallate. E (a) of these reactions and temperature dependence (at 0-30 degrees C) of k (cat), k (cat)/K (m), DeltaG*, DeltaH* and DeltaS* for both the enzymes and substrates were determined. The k (cat) and k (cat)/K (m) values (for both the substrates) were considerably higher for the combined preparation of TAH I and TAH II.

Addition of Urban Waste to Semiarid Degraded Soil: Long-term Effect

The addition of municipal solid wastes (MSW) is considered as a possible strategy for soil rehabilitation in southeast Spain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term (17 years) effect of five doses of MSW addition on the microbiological, biochemical, and physical properties of semiarid soil. Increased values of several parameters that serve as indicators of general microbiological activity, such as, basal respiration, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or dehydrogenase activity; microbial population size (microbial biomass C), and extracellular hydrolase activity related to macronutrient cycles, such as, urease, β-glucosidase, and N-α-benzoyl-L-argininamide protease, were observed in the amended soils. The highest MSW doses showed the highest values in these hydrolase activities. The incorporation of municipal waste resulted in a more dense development of the plant cover, 50% greater in higher doses than in the control treatment, which generated a substantial increase in several C fractions. Total organic carbon reached 12 g kg −1 soil with the highest MSW doses, compared to 4.30 g kg −1 soil in the control treatment. The physical properties of the soil were also improved, showing greater percentage of stable aggregates and water holding capacity. Positive correlation coefficients between C fractions and parameters related to microbial activity and aggregate stability were observed. Although these improvements were greater in the soils receiving the highest doses of organic amendment, the increases were not proportional to the amount added, demonstrating the existence of a threshold, above which an increase in the amount of organic matter added is not reflected in an increase in the soil's physical, biochemical, and microbiological properties. However, the addition of municipal solid wastes proved its suitability for improving soil quality, thereby indicating the potential of such an amendment, to prevent desertification in Mediterranean areas such as those studied.

Optimization of submerged keratinocyte cultures for the synthesis of barrier ceramides

Epidermal differentiation results in the formation of the extracellular lipid barrier in the stratum corneum, which mainly consists of ceramides, free fatty acids, and cholesterol. Differentiating keratinocytes of the stratum granulosum synthesize a series of complex long-chain ceramides and glucosylceramides with different chain lengths and hydroxylation patterns at intracellular membranes of the secretory pathway. Formation of complex extracellular ceramides parallels the transition of keratinocytes from the stratum granulosum to the stratum corneum, where their precursors, complex glucosylceramides and sphingomyelin, are secreted and exposed to extracellular lysosomal lipid hydrolases. Submerged cultures used so far showed a reduced ceramide content compared to the native epidermis or the air-exposed, organotypic culture system. In order to investigate the sphingolipid metabolism during keratinocyte differentiation, we optimized a simple cell culture system to generate the major barrier sphingolipids. This optimized model is based on the chemically well-defined serum-free MCDB medium. At low calcium ion concentrations (0.1 mM), keratinocytes proliferate and synthesize mainly Cer(NS) and a small amount of Cer(NP). Supplementation of the MCDB cell culture medium with calcium ions (1.1 mM) and 10 μM linoleic acid triggered differentiation of keratinocytes and synthesis of a complex pattern of free and covalently bound ceramides as found in native epidermis or air-exposed organotypic cultures, though at a reduced level. The mRNA levels of the differentiation markers keratin 10 and profilaggrin increased, as well as those of ceramide glucosyltransferase and glucosylceramide- β-glucosidase. The described culture system was thus suitable for biochemical studies of the sphingolipid metabolism during keratinocyte differentiation. The addition of serum or vitamin A to the medium resulted in a decrease in ceramide and glucosylceramide content. Lowering the medium pH to 6, while maintained cell viability, led to an increase in the processing of probarrier lipids glucosylceramide and sphingomyelin to free ceramides and protein-bound ceramide Cer(OS).

Extracellular hydrolases of strain Bacillus sp. 739 and their involvement in the lysis of micromycete cell walls

The mycolytic bacterial strain Bacillus sp. 739 produces extracellular enzymes which degrade in vitro the cell walls of a number of phytopathogenic and saprophytic fungi. When Bacillus sp. 739 was cultivated with Bipolaris sorokiniana, a cereal root-rot pathogen, the fungus degradation process correlated with the levels of the beta-1,3-glucanase and protease activity. The comparative characteristic of Bacillus sp. 739 enzymatic preparations showed that efficient hydrolysis of the fungus cell walls was the result of the action of the complex of enzymes produced by the strain when grown on chitin-containing media. Among the enzymes of this complex, chitinases and beta-1,3-glucanases hydrolyzed most actively the disintegrated cell walls of B. sorokiniana. However, only beta-1,3-glucanases were able to degrade the cell walls of native fungal mycelium in the absence of other hydrolases, which is indicative of their key role in the mycolytic activity of Bacillus sp. 739.

Molecular cloning of a bifunctional -xylosidase/ -L-arabinosidase from alfalfa roots: heterologous expression in Medicago truncatula and substrate specificity of the purified enzyme

Glycoside hydrolases are often members of a multigene family, suggesting individual roles for each isoenzyme. Various extracellular glycoside hydrolases have an important but poorly understood function in remodelling the cell wall during plant growth. Here, MsXyl1, a concanavalin A-binding protein from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 3 (beta-D-xylosidase branch) is characterized. Transcripts of MsXyl1 were detected in roots (particularly root tips), root nodules, and flowers. MsXyl1 under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter was expressed in the model legume Medicago truncatula (Gaertner). Concanavalin A-binding proteins from the transgenic plants exhibited 5-8-fold increased activities towards three p-nitrophenyl (PNP) glycosides, namely PNP-beta-D-xyloside, PNP-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside, and PNP-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside. An antiserum raised against a synthetic peptide recognized MsXyl1, which was processed to a 65 kDa form. To characterize the substrate specificity of MsXyl1, the recombinant protein was purified from transgenic M. truncatula leaves by concanavalin A and anion chromatography. MsXyl1cleaved beta-1,4-linked D-xylo-oligosaccharides and alpha-1,5-linked L-arabino-oligosaccharides. Arabinoxylan (from wheat) and arabinan (from sugar beet) were substrates for MsXyl1, whereas xylan (from oat spelts) was resistant to degradation. Furthermore, MsXyl1 released xylose and arabinose from cell wall polysaccharides isolated from alfalfa roots. These data suggest that MsXyl1 is a multifunctional beta-xylosidase/alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase/alpha-L-arabinopyranosidase implicated in cell wall turnover of arabinose and xylose, particularly in rapidly growing root tips. Moreover, the findings of this study demonstrate that stable transgenic M. truncatula plants serve as an excellent expression system for purification and characterization of proteins.

Candida glabrata, an Emerging Oral Opportunistic Pathogen

Following the widespread use of immunosuppressive therapy and broad-spectrum antimycotic prophylaxis, C. glabrata has emerged as an important opportunistic pathogen in the oral mucosa. In the past, studies on the virulence factors and host-pathogen interactions of this organism were scarce, but continued to rise in recent years. Denture-wearing, immunosuppression, antibiotic therapy, and aging are risk factors for oral colonization or infection with C. glabrata. Compared with C. albicans, C. glabrata exhibits lower oral keratinocyte-adherence capacity, but higher denture-surface-adherence ability. The role of extracellular hydrolase production in the virulence of this organism does not appear to be as important as it is in C. albicans pathogenesis. Although traditionally thought of as a non-transforming yeast organism, both phenotypic switching and pseudohyphal formation have recently been identified in C. glabrata, but their role in pathogenesis is not known. With the exception of granulocyte monocyte colony-stimulating factor, C. glabrata triggers a lower proinflammatory cytokine response in oral epithelial cells than does C. albicans, in a strain-dependent manner. C. glabrata is less susceptible to killing by human beta-defensins than is C. albicans and exhibits various degrees of resistance to the antifungal activity of salivary histatins and mucins. In addition, C. glabrata possesses both innate and acquired resistance against antifungal drugs, due to its ability to modify ergosterol biosynthesis, mitochondrial function, or antifungal efflux. This resistance allows for its relative overgrowth over other susceptible species and may contribute to the recent emergence of C. glabrata infections in chronically immunocompromised populations. Further investigations on the virulence and host-pathogen interactions of C. glabrata are needed to better define the pathogenesis of oral C. glabrata infection in susceptible hosts.

Induction of extracellular β-galactosidase (Bga1) formation by d-galactose in Hypocrea jecorina is mediated by galactitol

The ability of Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei) to grow on lactose strongly depends on the formation of an extracellular glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 35 beta-galactosidase, encoded by the bga1 gene. Previous studies, using batch or transfer cultures of pregrown cells, had shown that bga1 is induced by lactose and d-galactose, but to a lesser extent by galactitol. To test whether the induction level is influenced by the different growth rates attainable on these carbon sources, bga1 expression was compared in carbon-limited chemostat cultivations at defined dilution (=specific growth) rates. The data showed that bga1 expression by lactose, d-galactose and galactitol positively correlated with the dilution rate, and that galactitol and d-galactose induced the highest activities of beta-galactosidase at comparable growth rates. To know more about the actual inducer for beta-galactosidase formation, its expression in H. jecorina strains impaired in the first steps of the two d-galactose-degrading pathways was compared. Induction by d-galactose and galactitol was still found in strains deleted in the galactokinase-encoding gene gal1, which is responsible for the first step of the Leloir pathway of d-galactose catabolism. However, in a strain deleted in the aldose/d-xylose reductase gene xyl1, which performs the reduction of d-galactose to galactitol in a recently identified second pathway, induction by d-galactose, but not by galactitol, was impaired. On the other hand, induction by d-galactose and galactitol was not affected in an l-arabinitol 4-dehydrogenase (lad1)-deleted strain which is impaired in the subsequent step of galactitol degradation. These results indicate that galactitol is the actual inducer of Bga1 formation during growth on d-galactose in H. jecorina.

Glucose-mediated repression of autolysis and conidiogenesis in Emericella nidulans

Glucose-mediated repression of autolysis and sporulation was studied in submerged Emericella nidulans (anam. Aspergillus nidulans) cultures. Null mutation of the creA gene, which encodes the major carbon catabolite repressor CreA in E. nidulans, resulted in a hyperautolytic phenotype characterized by increased extracellular hydrolase production and dry cell mass declination. Interestingly, glucose, as well as the glucose antimetabolite 2-deoxy- d-glucose, repressed autolysis and sporulation in both the control and the creA null mutant strains suggesting that these processes were also subjected to CreA-independent carbon regulation. For example, the glucose-mediated, but CreA-independent, repression of the sporulation transcription factor BrlA was likely to contribute to the negative regulation of conidiogenesis by glucose. Although CreA played a prominent role in the regulation of autolysis via the repression of genes encoding important autolytic hydrolases like ChiB chitinase and PrtA protease the age-related production of the chitinase activity was also negatively affected by the down-regulation of brlA expression. However, neither CreA-dependent nor CreA-independent elements of carbon regulation affected the initiation and regulation of cell death in E. nidulans under carbon starvation.

Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of an Autolysis-Deficient, Teicoplanin-Resistant Derivative of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus

The molecular basis of glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (GISA) isolates is not well defined though frequently involves phenotypes such as thickened cell walls and decreased autolysis. We have exploited an isogenic pair of teicoplanin-susceptible (strain MRGR3) and teicoplanin-resistant (strain 14-4) methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains for detailed transcriptomic profiling and analysis of altered autolytic properties. Strain 14-4 displayed markedly deficient Triton X-100-triggered autolysis compared to its teicoplanin-susceptible parent, although microarray analysis paradoxically did not reveal significant reductions in expression levels of major autolytic genes atl, lytM, and lytN, except for sle1, which showed a slight decrease. The most important paradox was a more-than-twofold increase in expression of the cidABC operon in 14-4 compared to MRGR3, which was correlated with decreased expression of autolysis negative regulators lytSR and lrgAB. In contrast, the autolysis-deficient phenotype of 14-4 was correlated with both increased expression of negative autolysis regulators (arlRS, mgrA, and sarA) and decreased expression of positive regulators (agr RNAII and RNAIII). Quantitative bacteriolytic assays and zymographic analysis of concentrated culture supernatants showed a striking reduction in Atl-derived, extracellular bacteriolytic hydrolase activities in 14-4 compared to MRGR3. This observed difference was independent of the source of cell wall substrate (MRGR3 or 14-4) used for analysis. Collectively, our results suggest that altered autolytic properties in 14-4 are apparently not driven by significant changes in the transcription of key autolytic effectors. Instead, our analysis points to alternate regulatory mechanisms that impact autolysis effectors which may include changes in posttranscriptional processing or export.

Characterization of the Staphylococcus aureus CidR regulon: elucidation of a novel role for acetoin metabolism in cell death and lysis

The Staphylococcus aureus cid and lrg operons encode a novel regulatory system that affects murein hydrolase activity, stationary-phase survival and antibiotic tolerance. Expression of the lrgAB operon is positively regulated by a two-component regulatory system encoded by the lytSR operon located immediately upstream to lrgAB. By comparison, the cidABC operon lies downstream from the cidR gene, encoding a protein homologous to the LysR-type family of transcriptional regulators. Transcription analysis of a cidR mutant revealed that CidR enhances cidABC expression in the presence of acetic acid generated by the metabolism of excess glucose. Microarray studies identified additional CidR-regulated operons including the IrgAB and alsSD encoding proteins involved in acetoin production. Surprisingly, Northern blot analyses revealed that cidABC and lrgAB transcription was uninducible in an alsSD mutant grown in the presence of excess glucose, suggesting that the CidR-mediated upregulation of cidABC and lrgAB transcription is dependent on the presence of intact alsSD genes. Zymographic and quantitative analyses of murein hydrolase activity also revealed that disruption of the alsSD genes results in significantly decreased extracellular murein hydrolase activity compared with that of the parental strain, UAMS-1. Furthermore, the alsSD mutant displayed decreased stationary-phase survival relative to UAMS-1, both in the presence and absence of glucose. The results of this study define the CidR regulon and demonstrate that the generation of acetoin is linked to the control of cell death and lysis in S. aureus.

Nod factors induce nod factor cleaving enzymes in pea roots. Genetic and pharmacological approaches indicate different activation mechanisms.

Establishment of symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia requires bacterial Nod factors (NFs). The concentration of these lipochitooligosaccharides in the rhizosphere is influenced by plant enzymes. NFs induce on pea (Pisum sativum) a particular extracellular NF hydrolase that releases lipodisaccharides from NFs from Sinorhizobium meliloti. Here, we investigated the ability of non-nodulating pea mutants to respond to NodRlv factors (NFs from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv viciae) with enhanced NF hydrolase activity. Mutants defective in the symbiotic genes sym10, sym8, sym19, and sym9/sym30 did not exhibit any stimulation of the NF hydrolase, indicating that the enzyme is induced via an NF signal transduction pathway that includes calcium spiking (transient increases in intracellular Ca(2+) levels). Interestingly, the NF hydrolase activity in these sym mutants was even lower than in wild-type peas, which were not pretreated with NodRlv factors. Activation of the NF hydrolase in wild-type plants was a specific response to NodRlv factors. The induction of the NF hydrolase was blocked by alpha-amanitin, cycloheximide, tunicamycin, EGTA, U73122, and calyculin A. Inhibitory effects, albeit weaker, were also found for brefeldin A, BHQ and ethephon. In addition to this NF hydrolase, NFs and stress-related signals (ethylene and salicylic acid) stimulated a pea chitinase that released lipotrisaccharides from pentameric NFs from S. meliloti. NodRlv factors failed to stimulate the chitinase in mutants defective in the sym10 and sym8 genes, whereas other mutants (e.g. mutated in the sym19 gene) retained their ability to increase the chitinase activity. These findings indicate that calcium spiking is not implicated in stimulation of the chitinase. We suggest that downstream of Sym8, a stress-related signal transduction pathway branches off from the NF signal transduction pathway.

Use of the giant multinucleate plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum to study RNA interference in the myxomycete

The plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum harbors billions of synchronized nuclei in a single cell of complex structure. Due to its synchrony and extreme size, it is used as a model to study events on a single cell level, such as cell cycle and differentiation. We show here for the first time that this model, despite its enormous size and structural complexity, is accessible to RNA interference by simple injection of dsRNA or siRNA. The targeted gene is that of polymalatase, an intracellular adapter of poly(β- l-malate) involved in the maintenance of the synchrony and functioning as an extracellular hydrolase of this polymer. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the specific mRNA was knocked down to about 10% of the original level. The suppression of a single injection lasted for approximately 14 cell cycles (144 h) and could be prolonged for any time by repeated dsRNA injections. Western blots indicated that the knockdown of RNA was paralleled by a strong reduction in polymalatase synthesis. However, a change in the phenotype of the plasmodium could not be clearly observed. In principle, the plasmodium offers an easy system for studying gene knockdown by RNA interference.

Acetic Acid Induces Expression of the Staphylococcus aureus cidABC and lrgAB Murein Hydrolase Regulator Operons

The Staphylococcus aureus lrg and cid operons encode homologous proteins that regulate extracellular murein hydrolase activity and penicillin tolerance in a diametrically opposing manner. Although their specific regulatory functions remain unknown, it has been postulated that the functions of CidA and LrgA are analogous to those of bacteriophage holins and antiholins, respectively, and that these proteins serve as molecular control elements of bacterial programmed cell death. Although these studies demonstrated that cidBC transcription is abundant in sigmaB-proficient strains, cidABC transcription was only minimally expressed under standard growth conditions. In this study, we demonstrate that cidABC and lrgAB transcription in the clinical isolate UAMS-1 is induced by growth in the presence of 35 mM glucose and that this enhances murein hydrolase activity and decreases tolerance to vancomycin and rifampin. The effect of glucose on murein hydrolase activity was not observed in the cidA mutant, indicating that the induction of this activity was dependent on enhanced cidABC expression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the effects of glucose on cidABC and lrgAB transcription are mediated by the generation of acetic acid produced by the metabolism of this and other carbon sources. These results shed new light on the control of the S. aureus cidABC and lrgAB genes and demonstrate that these operons, as well as murein hydrolase activity and antibiotic tolerance, are responsive to carbohydrate metabolism.

Identification of sarV (SA2062), a new transcriptional regulator, is repressed by SarA and MgrA (SA0641) and involved in the regulation of autolysis in Staphylococcus aureus.

The expression of genes involved in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus is known to be controlled by global regulatory loci, including agr, sarA, sae, arlRS, lytSR, and sarA-like genes. Here we described a novel transcriptional regulator called sarV of the SarA protein family. The transcription of sarV is low or undetectable under in vitro conditions but is significantly augmented in sarA and mgrA (norR or rat) (SA0641) mutants. The sarA and mgrA genes act as repressors of sarV expression, as confirmed by transcriptional fusion and Northern analysis data. Purified SarA and MgrA proteins bound specifically to separate regions of the sarV promoter as determined by gel shift and DNase I footprinting assays. The expression of 19 potential target genes involved in autolysis and virulence, phenotypes affected by sarA and mgrA, was evaluated in an isogenic sarV mutant pair. Our data indicated that the sarV gene product played a role regulating some virulence genes and more genes involved in autolysis. The sarV mutant was more resistant to Triton X-100 and penicillin-induced lysis compared to the wild type and the sarA mutant, whereas hyperexpression of sarV in the parental strain or the sarV mutant rendered the resultant strain highly susceptible to lysis. Zymographic analysis of murein hydrolase activity revealed that inactivation of the sarV gene results in decreased extracellular murein hydrolase activity compared to that of wild-type S. aureus. We propose that sarV may be part of the common pathway by which mgrA and sarA gene products control autolysis in S. aureus.

IL-4 modulates transcriptional control of the mannose receptor in mouse FSDC dendritic cells

The mannose receptor is a 175 kDa protein found on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells whose functions include clearance of extracellular hydrolases, internalization of pathogens, and antigen capture. Receptor expression is closely linked to the functional state of these cells and is regulated by cytokines. Previous work has shown that treatment of macrophages and dendritic cells with interleukin-4 leads to increased mannose receptor expression. We have examined the mechanism of this IL-4-mediated up-regulation in the murine dendritic cell line FSDC. IL-4 increased mannose receptor activity, protein, and mRNA. The mannose receptor promoter was functional in FSDCs using transient transfection assays, and IL-4 treatment increased promoter activity 2.6-fold. The responsive region was localized to the proximal 228 bp. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays detected an IL-4-inducible protein that bound to the mannose receptor promoter at a site spanning the region between −147 and −108 bp. The sequence TTAC(N) 4CACC (−135 and −124 bp) is similar to the IL-4 response region in the Fcε receptor II. Mutation of the flanking TT and CC in this motif blocked IL-4 responsiveness and binding of the IL-4-induced mannose receptor binding protein. This protein does not appear to be STAT6 since neither an anti-STAT6 antibody nor a STAT6 consensus oligonucleotide altered factor binding.

Productivity of extracellular hydrolases by Rhizopus oligosporus and enzymatic properties

Productivity of extracellular hydrolases by Rhizopus oligosporus and enzymatic properties

Factors influencing glycosylation of Trichoderma reesei cellulases. I: Postsecretorial changes of the O- and N-glycosylation pattern of Cel7A.

The glycosylation of Cel7A (CBH I) from Trichoderma reesei varies considerably when the fungus is grown under different conditions. As shown by ESI-MS and PAG-IEF analyses of both intact protein and the isolated catalytic core module, the microheterogeneity originates mainly from the variable ratio of single N-acetylglucosamine over high-mannose structures on the three N-glycosylation sites and from the presence or absence of phosphate residues. Fully N- and O-glycosylated Cel7A can only be isolated from minimal medium and probably reflects the initial complexity of the protein on leaving the glycosynthetic pathway. Extracellular activities are responsible for postsecretorial modifications in other cultivation conditions: alpha-(1-->2)-mannosidase, alpha-(1-->3)-glucosidase and an Endo H type activity participate in N-deglycosylation (core), whereas a phosphatase and a mannosidase are probably responsible for hydrolysis of O-glycans (linker). The effects are most prominent in corn steep liquor-enriched media, where the pH is closer to the pH optimum (5-6) of these extracellular hydrolases. In minimal medium, the low pH and the presence of proteases could explain for the absence of such activities. On the other hand, phosphodiester linkages in the catalytic module are only observed under specific conditions. The extracellular trigger is still unknown, but mannophosphorylation may be regulated intracellularly by alpha-(1-->2)-mannosidases and phosphomannosyl transferases competing for the same intermediate in the glycosynthetic pathway.

Comparison of extracellular phospholipase activities in clinical and environmentalAspergillus fumigatusisolates

Extracellular phospholipase production by environmental and clinical isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus collected from several centres world-wide were compared. All isolates produced extracellular phospholipases which included phospholipase C and a phospholipid acyl hydrolase (phospholipase A and/or phospholipase B) activity. Clinical isolates of A. fumigatus produced the largest zone sizes in a diffusion assay and clinical isolates produced more extracellular phospholipase C than environmental isolates. However, environmental isolates of A. fumigatus showed increased acyl hydrolase activity compared to clinical isolates of A. fumigatus. This study suggests that extracellular phospholipase C activity, but not extracellular acyl hydrolase activity may be important in the pathogenicity of A. fumigatus.

Purification and characterization of laminaran hydrolases from Trichoderma viride.

At least three extracellular laminaran hydrolases which hydrolyzed laminaran (beta-1,3:1,6-glucan) from Eisenia bicyclis were secreted in wheat bran solid medium by Trichoderma viride U-1. These three enzymes, lam AI, AII, and B, were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. Their molecular masses were estimated to be 70.1, 70.4, and 45.0 kDa for lam AI, AII, and B, respectively, by SDS-PAGE. Whereas both lam AI and AII could hydrolyze laminarin from Laminaria digitata, lam AII showed higher activity against Laminaria laminarin rather than Eisenia laminaran. On the other hand, lam B preferentially hydrolyzed pustulan, a beta-1,6-glucan. Laminarioligosaccharide was hydrolyzed by lam AI and AII but not B, whereas gentiooligosaccharide was hydrolyzed by only lam B. It showed that lam AI and AII were specific for beta-1,3-linkages, but lam B was specific for beta-1,6-linkages. These results indicated that T. viride U-1 has a multiple glucanolytic enzyme system.