Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1976 May;126(2):799–805. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.2.799-805.1976

Biochemical and genetic studies on galactosamine metabolism in Neurospora crassa.

C M Edson, S Brody
PMCID: PMC233216  PMID: 131123

Abstract

In Neurospora, galactosamine can be released from the cell wall and from an alcohol-soluble compound by acid hydrolysis. All of the detectable alcohol-soluble galactosamine was present as uridine diphospho-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose (UDPGalNAc). The results of pulse-labeling studies and enzymatic assays indicated that UDPGalNAc was synthesized via the epimerization of uridine diphospho-2-acetamido-2-de+xy-D-glucose (UDPGlcNAc). A single-gene morphological mutant, doily (do), which grew at less than 4% the rate of the wild-type strain, had 3% of the wild-type UDPGalNAc content and 0.5% of the wild-type level of cell wall galactosamine but normal levels of UDPGlcNAc and cell wall glucosamine. Cell extracts of the doily cultures containing only 20% of the specific activity of UDPGlcNAc-4-epimerase found in the extracts of wild-type cultures. Two types of faster-growing partial revertants of the doily strain were isolated. One type had an intermediate level of both alcohol-soluble and cell wall galactosamine. A second type had an intermediate level of alcohol-soluble galactosamine but low levels of cell wass galactosamine. Genetic analyses indicated that the reverse mutations had occurred at the do locus in both types. This finding that cell wall glucosamine synthesis and growth rate can be separated genetically indicates that mutations at the do lucus lead to pleiotropic effects.

Full text

PDF
799

Selected References

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

  1. Brody S., Tatum E. L. Phosphoglucomutase mutants and morphological changes in neurospora crassa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 Sep;58(3):923–930. doi: 10.1073/pnas.58.3.923. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Endo A., Kakiki K., Misato T. Feedback inhibition of L-glutamine D-fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase by uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine in Neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1970 Sep;103(3):588–594. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.3.588-594.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GLASER L. The biosynthesis of N-acetylgalactosamine. J Biol Chem. 1959 Nov;234:2801–2805. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gratzner H. G. Cell wall alterations associated with the hyperproduction of extracellular enzymes in Neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1972 Aug;111(2):443–446. doi: 10.1128/jb.111.2.443-446.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HAROLD F. M. Binding of inorganic polyphosphate to the cell wall of Neurospora crassa. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1962 Feb 12;57:59–66. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(62)91077-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. JACOBSON B., DAVIDSON E. A. UDP-D-glucuronic acid-5-epimerase and UDP-N-acetyglucosamine-4-epimerase of rabbit skin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 May 7;73:145–151. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)90429-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Katz D., Rosenberger R. F. A mutation in Aspergillus nidulans producing hyphal walls which lack chitin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1970 Jun;208(3):452–460. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(70)90218-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Katz D., Rosenberger R. F. Lysis of an Aspergillus nidulans mutant blocked in chitin synthesis and its relation to wall assembly and wall metabolism. Arch Mikrobiol. 1971;80(4):284–292. doi: 10.1007/BF00406216. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. 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]
  10. Livingston L. R. Locus-specific changes in cell wall composition characteristic of osmotic mutants of Neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jul;99(1):85–90. doi: 10.1128/jb.99.1.85-90.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. MALEY F., MALEY G. F. The enzymic conversion of glucosamine to galactosamine. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 Feb;31(2):577–578. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90047-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mahadevan P. R., Tatum E. L. Relationship of the major constituents of the Neurospora crassa cell wall to wild-type and colonial morphology. J Bacteriol. 1965 Oct;90(4):1073–1081. doi: 10.1128/jb.90.4.1073-1081.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Reissig J. L., Glasgow J. E. Mucopolysaccharide which regulates growth in Neurospora. J Bacteriol. 1971 Jun;106(3):882–889. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.3.882-889.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SMITH E. J., WHEAT R. W. Acid-soluble nucleotide spectrum of Neurospora crassa. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1960 Feb;86:267–269. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(60)90416-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Schmit J. C., Edson C. M., Brody S. Changes in glucosamine and galactosamine levels during conidial germination in Neurospora crassa. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jun;122(3):1062–1070. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.3.1062-1070.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Trevithick J. R., Metzenberg R. L. Genetic alteration of pore size and other properties of the Neurospora cell wall. J Bacteriol. 1966 Oct;92(4):1016–1020. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.4.1016-1020.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wrathall C. R., Tatum E. L. Hyphal wall peptides and colonial morphology in Neurospora crassa. Biochem Genet. 1974 Jul;12(1):59–68. doi: 10.1007/BF00487528. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES