Skip to main content
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1997 Feb;63(2):435–439. doi: 10.1128/aem.63.2.435-439.1997

Enigmatic Gratuitous Induction of the Covalent Flavoprotein Vanillyl-Alcohol Oxidase in Penicillium simplicissimum

M W Fraaije, M Pikkemaat, W Van Berkel
PMCID: PMC1389514  PMID: 16535508

Abstract

When Penicillium simplicissimum is grown on veratryl alcohol, anisyl alcohol, or 4-(methoxymethyl)phenol, an intracellular covalent flavin-containing vanillyl-alcohol oxidase is induced. The induction is highest (up to 5% of total protein) during the growth phase. In addition to vanillyl-alcohol oxidase, an intracellular catalase-peroxidase is induced. Induction of vanillyl-alcohol oxidase in P. simplicissimum is prevented by the addition of isoeugenol to veratryl alcohol-containing media, but growth is unaffected. The inhibitory effect of isoeugenol on induction is not observed when anisyl alcohol or 4-(methoxymethyl)phenol is used as the growth substrate. Based on the induction experiments and the degradation pathways for veratryl and anisyl alcohol, we propose that induction of vanillyl-alcohol oxidase is superfluous when P. simplicissimum is grown on these aromatic alcohols. However, the enzyme plays an essential role in the degradation of the methyl ether of p-cresol, 4-(methoxymethyl)phenol.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (462.4 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bruinenberg P. M., van Dijken J. P., Scheffers W. A. An enzymic analysis of NADPH production and consumption in Candida utilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1983 Apr;129(4):965–971. doi: 10.1099/00221287-129-4-965. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fraaije M. W., Roubroeks H. P., Hagen W. R., Van Berkel W. J. Purification and characterization of an intracellular catalase-peroxidase from Penicillium simplicissimum. Eur J Biochem. 1996 Jan 15;235(1-2):192–198. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.00192.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fraaije M. W., Veeger C., van Berkel W. J. Substrate specificity of flavin-dependent vanillyl-alcohol oxidase from Penicillium simplicissimum. Evidence for the production of 4-hydroxycinnamyl alcohols from 4-allylphenols. Eur J Biochem. 1995 Nov 15;234(1):271–277. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1995.271_c.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fujisawa H., Hayaishi O. Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. I. Crystallization and characterization. J Biol Chem. 1968 May 25;243(10):2673–2681. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Launen L., Pinto L., Wiebe C., Kiehlmann E., Moore M. The oxidation of pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene by nonbasidiomycete soil fungi. Can J Microbiol. 1995 Jun;41(6):477–488. doi: 10.1139/m95-064. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Pauli A., Knobloch K. Inhibitory effects of essential oil components on growth of food-contaminating fungi. Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1987 Jul;185(1):10–13. doi: 10.1007/BF01083332. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rodríguez A., Carnicero A., Perestelo F., de la Fuente G., Milstein O., Falcón M. A. Effect of Penicillium chrysogenum on Lignin Transformation. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Aug;60(8):2971–2976. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.8.2971-2976.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Stanier R. Y., Ornston L. N. The beta-ketoadipate pathway. Adv Microb Physiol. 1973;9(0):89–151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. VISHNIAC W., SANTER M. The thiobacilli. Bacteriol Rev. 1957 Sep;21(3):195–213. doi: 10.1128/br.21.3.195-213.1957. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Verduyn C., Giuseppin M. L., Scheffers W. A., van Dijken J. P. Hydrogen peroxide metabolism in yeasts. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 Aug;54(8):2086–2090. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.8.2086-2090.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Witteveen C. F., Veenhuis M., Visser J. Localization of Glucose Oxidase and Catalase Activities in Aspergillus niger. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Apr;58(4):1190–1194. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.4.1190-1194.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. de Jong E., van Berkel W. J., van der Zwan R. P., de Bont J. A. Purification and characterization of vanillyl-alcohol oxidase from Penicillium simplicissimum. A novel aromatic alcohol oxidase containing covalently bound FAD. Eur J Biochem. 1992 Sep 15;208(3):651–657. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1992.tb17231.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES