title: Substantial decrease in cell wall α-1,3-glucan caused by disruption of the kexB gene encoding a subtilisin-like processing protease in Aspergillus oryzae.
abstract: Disruption of the kexB encoding a subtilisin-like processing protease in Aspergillus oryzae (ΔkexB) leads to substantial morphological defects when the cells are grown on Czapek-Dox agar plates. We previously found that the disruption of kexB causes a constitutive activation of the cell wall integrity pathway. To understand how the disruption of the kexB affects cell wall organization and components, we analyzed the cell wall of ΔkexB grown on the plates. The results revealed that both total N-acetylglucosamine content, which constitutes chitin, and chitin synthase activities were increased. Whereas total glucose content, which constitutes β-1,3-glucan and α-1,3-glucan, was decreased; this decrease was attributed to a remarkable decrease in α-1,3-glucan. Additionally, the β-1,3-glucan in the alkali-insoluble fraction of the ΔkexB showed a high degree of polymerization. These results suggested that the loss of α-1,3-glucan in the ΔkexB was compensated by increases in the chitin content and the average degree of β-1,3-glucan polymerization.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Enzymology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.|b Department of Application Research , National Research Institute of Brewing , Higashi-Hiroshima , Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.affiliation: a Department of Enzymology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Matsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiina
authors.affiliation: c ABE-Project , New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshimi
authors.affiliation: d Department of Genome Biotechnology , Kanazawa Institute of Technology , Hakusan , Japan.
authors.forename: Motoaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: e Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture , Niigata University , Niigata , Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: a Department of Enzymology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Youhei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamagata
authors.affiliation: a Department of Enzymology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Tasuku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: f Bioindustrial Genomics, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gomi
authors.affiliation: c ABE-Project , New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.|g Applied Microbiology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science , Tohoku University , Sendai , Japan.
authors.forename: Keietsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D001236:Aspergillus oryzae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005936:Glucans / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D020860:Subtilisin / Q000378:metabolism; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D005936:Glucans; D047071:beta-Glucans; D002686:Chitin; C045788:alpha-1,3-glucan; C033363:beta-1,3-glucan; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D020860:Subtilisin; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Aspergillus oryzae; cell wall integrity; processing protease (KexB); α-1,3-glucan