Glycerol is catabolized in Aspergillus nidulans by glycerol kinase and a mitochondrial FAD-dependent sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The levels of both enzymes are controlled by carbon catabolite repression and by specific introduction. Biochemical and genetical analyses show that dihydroxyacetone and d-glyceraldehyde are converted into glycerol and then catabolized by the same pathway, d-Glyceraldehyde can be reduced by NADP+-dependent glycerol dehydrogenase or by alcohol dehydrogenase I, while dihydroxyacetone is only reduced by the first enzyme. Three new glycerol non-utilizing mutants have been found. These three mutations define three hitherto unknown loci, glcE, glcF and glcG. The mutation in glcG leads to a greatly decreased sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity.
ArstH. N.,
HondmannD. H. A.,
VisserJ.1990; A translocation activating the cryptic nitrogen regulation gene areB inactivates a previously unidentified gene involved in glycerol utilisation in Aspergillus nidulans . Molecular and General Genetics 223:134–137
CozarelliN. R.,
KochJ. P.,
HayashiS.,
LinE. C. C.1968; Growth stasis by accumulated L-a-glycerophosphate in Escherichia coli . Journal of Bacteriology 90:1325–1329
CreaserE. H.,
PorterR. L.,
BrittK. A.,
PatemanJ. A.,
DoyC. H.1985; Purification and preliminary characterization of alcohol dehydrogenase from Aspergillus nidulans . Biochemical Journal 225:449–454
De KoningW.,
HarderW.,
DijkhuizenL.1987; Glycerol metabolism in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha: phosphorylation as the initial step. Archives of Microbiology 148:314–320
DijkemaC.,
KesterH. C. M.,
VisserJ.1985; 13C NMR studies of carbon metabolism in the hyphal fungus Aspergillus nidulans . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America8214–18
Inoue Y,
RheeH.-I.,
WatanabeK.,
MurataK.,
KimuraA.1987; Metabolism of 2-ketoaldehydes in mold: purification and characterization of glyoxylase I from Aspergillus niger . Journal of Biochemistry 102:583–589
KongY.-C.,
MayJ. W.,
MarshallJ. H.1985; Glycerol oxidation and triose reduction by pyridine nucleotide-linked enzymes in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe . Journal of General Microbiology 131:1571–1579
MayJ. W.,
SloanJ.1981; Glycerol utilization by Schizosaccharomyces pombe : dehydrogenation as the initial step. Journal of General Microbiology 123:183–185
PatemanJ. A.,
DoyC. H.,
OlsonJ. E.,
NorrisU.,
CreaserE. H.,
HynesM.1983; Regulation of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (AldDH) in Aspergillus nidulans . Proceedings of the Royal SocietyB217243–264
PilnikW.,
RomboutsF. M.1981; Pectic enzymes. In Enzymes and Food Processing105–128BirchG. G.,
BlackbroughN., and ParkerK. J.
London: Applied Science Publishers;
RiddleV.,
LorenzF. W.1968; Nonenzymic, polyvalent anion-catalyzed formation of methylglyoxal as an explanation of its presence in physiological systems. Journal of Biological Chemistry 243:2718–2724
SchuurinkR.,
BusinkR.,
HondmannD. H. A.,
WitteveenC. F. B.,
VisserJ.1990; Purification and properties of NADP+-dependent glycerol dehydrogenases from Aspergillus nidulans and A. niger . Journal of General Microbiology 136:1043–1050
ThornallyP. J.1990; The glyoxalase system: new developments towards functional characterization of a metabolic pathway fundamental to biological life. Biochemical Journal 269:1–11
UitzetterJ. H. A. A.1982; Studies on carbon metabolism in wild type and mutants of Aspergillus nidulans. PhD thesis Agricultural University Wageningen; The Netherlands:
UitzetterJ. H. A. A.,
BosC. J.,
VisserJ.1986; Characterization of Aspergillus nidulans mutants in carbon metabolism isolated after d-galacturonate enrichment. Journal of General Microbiology 132:1167–1172
UpshallA.,
GiddingsB.,
TeowS. C.,
MortimoreI. D.1979; Novel methods for genetic analysis in fungi. In Proceedings of the Third International Congress on the Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms197–204SebekO. K.,
LaskinA.
UwajimaT.,
AkitaH.,
ItoK.,
MiharaA.,
AisakaK.,
TeradaO.1980; Formation and purification of a new enzyme, glycerol oxidase and stoichiometry of the enzyme reaction. Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 4:399–406
Van LaereA. J.,
HulsmansE.1987; Water potential, glycerol synthesis, and water content of germinating Phycomyces spores. Archives of Microbiology 147:257–262
VisserJ.,
Van RooijenR.,
DijkemaC.,
SwartK.,
Sealy-LewisH. M.1988; Glycerol uptake mutants of the hyphal fungus Aspergillus nidulans . Journal of General Microbiology 134:655–659
Viswanath-ReddyM.,
PyleJ. E.,
HoweH. B.1978; Purification and properties of NADP+-linked glycerol dehydrogenase-from Neurospora crassa . Journal of General Microbiology 107:289–296
WitteveenC. F. B.,
Van de VondervoortP.,
DijkemaC.,
SwartK.,
VisserJ.1990; Characterization of a glycerol kinase mutant in Aspergillus niger . Journal of General Microbiology 136:1299–1305