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Volume 150, Issue 4

Independent regulation of chitin synthase and chitinase activity in and Free

Abstract

Chitin is an essential structural polysaccharide in fungi that is required for cell shape and morphogenesis. One model for wall synthesis at the growing cell surface suggests that the compliance that is necessary for turgor-driven expansion of the cell wall involves a delicate balance of wall synthesis and lysis. Accordingly, chitin synthesis may involve coordinated regulation of members of the chitin synthase and chitinase gene families. To test this hypothesis, the chitin synthase and chitinase activities of cell-free extracts were measured, as well as the chitin content of cell walls isolated from isogenic mutant strains that contained single or multiple knock-outs in members of these two gene families, in both and . However, deletion of chitinase genes did not markedly affect specific chitin synthase activity, and deletion of single genes had little effect on specific chitinase activity in either fungus. Chitin synthesis and chitinase production was, however, regulated in during yeast–hypha morphogenesis. In , the total specific activities of both chitin synthase and chitinase were higher in the hyphal form, which was attributable mainly to the activities of Chs2 and Cht3, respectively. It appeared, therefore, that chitin synthesis and hydrolysis were not coupled, but that both were regulated during yeast–hypha morphogenesis in .

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Revised:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): 4-MU-[GlcNAc]4, 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-N-tetraacetylchitotetraoside , CFW, Calcofluor White and FCS, fetal calf serum
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2004-04-01
2024-04-19
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Independent regulation of chitin synthase and chitinase activity in Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Microbiology 150, 921 (2004); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.26661-0
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.26661-0
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