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. 1969 Mar;97(3):1248–1261. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.3.1248-1261.1969

Stimulation of Fermentation and Yeast-like Morphogenesis in Mucor rouxii by Phenethyl Alcohol

H F Terenzi a,1, R Storck a
PMCID: PMC249842  PMID: 5776529

Abstract

The germination of fungal spores into hyphae was inhibited by concentrations of phenethyl alcohol (PEA) from 0.05 to 0.3%. Spores of Mucor formed budding spherical cells instead of filaments. These cells were abundant in cultures of Mucor rouxii at 0.22% PEA, provided that the carbon source was a hexose at 2 to 5%. Morphology was filamentous with xylose, maltose, sucrose, or a mixture of amino acids. Removal of PEA resulted in the conversion of yeast-like cells into hyphae. PEA did not inhibit biosynthesis of cytochromes or oxygen uptake, but it stimulated CO2 and ethyl alcohol production. PEA had no effect on the rate of oxygen uptake, but it inhibited the oxidative-phosphorylation activity of mitochondria. These results suggested that growth inhibition by PEA could result from uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation and that, in Mucor, yeast-like morphology and fermentation were linked.

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Selected References

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

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