title: Autophagy deficiency promotes beta-lactam production in Penicillium chrysogenum.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cell Biology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartoszewska
authors.forename: Jan A K W
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kiel
authors.forename: Roel A L
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bovenberg
authors.forename: Marten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veenhuis
authors.forename: Ida J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: van der Klei
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010406:Penicillins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010408:Penicillium chrysogenum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020675:Peroxisomes / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010406:Penicillins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases