Autophagy Deficiency Promotes β-Lactam Production in Penicillium chrysogenum
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Roel A. L. Bovenberg; Marten Veenhuis; Magdalena Bartoszewska; Ida J. van der Klei; Jan A.K.W. Kiel
- Source
- Applied and environmental microbiology, 77(4), 1413-1422. AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY
- Subject
- Programmed cell death
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Atg1
Genes, Fungal
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Penicillins
Mycology
Penicillium chrysogenum
Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
ASPERGILLUS-ORYZAE
Fungal Proteins
chemistry.chemical_compound
Cytosol
Biosynthesis
Autophagy
Peroxisomes
BIOSYNTHESIS
Sequence Deletion
Ecology
biology
FUNCTIONAL-ANALYSIS
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Peroxisome
FILAMENTOUS FUNGI
DEGRADATION
biology.organism_classification
GENE
PEROXISOME BIOGENESIS
Microscopy, Electron
MAGNAPORTHE-GRISEA
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Biochemistry
chemistry
CELL-DEATH
HANSENULA-POLYMORPHA
Food Science
Biotechnology
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0099-2240
We have investigated the significance of autophagy in the production of the β-lactam antibiotic penicillin (PEN) by the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum . In this fungus PEN production is compartmentalized in the cytosol and in peroxisomes. We demonstrate that under PEN-producing conditions significant amounts of cytosolic and peroxisomal proteins are degraded via autophagy. Morphological analysis, based on electron and fluorescence microscopy, revealed that this phenomenon might contribute to progressive deterioration of late subapical cells. We show that deletion of the P. chrysogenum ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae serine-threonine kinase atg1 results in impairment of autophagy. In P. chrysogenum atg1 cells, a distinct delay in cell degeneration is observed relative to wild-type cells. This phenomenon is associated with an increase in the enzyme levels of the PEN biosynthetic pathway and enhanced production levels of this antibacterial compound.