title: Characterization of an Aspergillus nidulans L-arabitol dehydrogenase mutant.
abstract: The degradation pathway for L-arabinose, which consists of a sequence of alternating reduction and oxidation reactions prior to ultimate phosphorylation, was studied in Aspergillus nidulans wild-type as well as in an L-arabinose non-utilizing mutant. The inability of the mutant to use L-arabinose was caused by the absence of L-arabitol dehydrogenase activity. The effect of the mutation on polyol accumulation patterns was studied upon growth on various carbon sources. The presence of L-arabinose resulted in intracellular accumulation of arabitol in this mutant. Moreover, the mutant secreted arabitol under these conditions and, in contrast to the wild-type, featured enhanced expression of enzymes involved in L-arabinose catabolism as well as of extracellular glycosyl hydrolases involved in degradation of the plant cell wall polysaccharide L-arabinan.
authors.affiliation: Section Molecular Genetics of Industrial Microorganisms, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Flipphi
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Witteveen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Visser
mesh_terms: D001089:Arabinose / Q000378:metabolism; D001233:Aspergillus nidulans / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D009154:Mutation; D013401:Sugar Alcohol Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics*; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D001089:Arabinose; D013401:Sugar Alcohol Dehydrogenases; C022751:D-arabinitol dehydrogenase; C014999:arabitol