Regulation of 2-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and isocitrate lyase syntheses in Neurospora crassa

Derepression of the glyoxylate cycle in mutants of Neurospora crassa accelerated for growth on acetate

Two spontaneous allelic mutations have been isolated with the unusual semi-dominant phenotype of faster-than-wild-type growth on acetate as sole carbon source. The mutants were designated Aag-1 (accelerated acetate growth) and mapped on linkage group II. Upon re-isolation of both the Aag-1 alleles from repeated back-crosses to wild-type, between 1 and 6% of the progeny were found to be acu (acetate non-utilizing) mutants. Ten of these were selected for heterokaryon complementation analysis with known acu mutants; nine proved to be new alleles of acu-5 (deficient in acetyl-CoA synthetase), and one was a new acetate non-utilizing class, designated acu-14. Although the Aag-1 mutants clearly have no acetate-growth-related enzyme deficiencies, they did exhibit significant constitutive enzyme levels for acetyl-CoA synthetase and the glyoxylate cycle enzymes (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) on the non-inducing carbon source, sucrose. The derepression was restricted to these enzymes, as representative enzymes from other carbon-assimilatory pathways remained repressed and subject to carbon catabolite repression. Northern blot analysis of the mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA synthetase and the glyoxylate cycle enzymes from the mutants demonstrated the derepression to occur at the level of transcription. These data suggest that the physiological explanation for the accelerated acetate growth phenotype lies in the standing levels of the acetate-assimilatory enzymes, which enable the mutants to forgo some of the normal time required for adaption to growth on acetate.

In vivo control of gluconeogenesis in wild-type Neurospora crassa and in the adenylate cyclase-deficient cr-1 (crisp) mutant

The rate of cycloheximide-resistant incorporation of carbon from [14C]alanine and [14C]acetate into polysaccharidic material was used to study gluconeogenic activity in wild-type Neurospora crassa and in the adenylate cyclase-deficient cr-1 (crisp-1) mutant. The wild-type efficiently utilized alanine and acetate as gluconeogenic substrates, whereas the mutant used acetate efficiently but was unable to use alanine. Cycloheximide-resistant 14C-incorporating activity was sensitive to carbon catabolite effects (repression and inactivation) in the two strains, which suggested that cyclic AMP metabolism was not involved in these regulatory responses. In the wild type, gluconeogenesis was induced by incubation of the cells in the absence of a carbon source. In contrast, cr-1 required supplementation with acetate. This finding suggested that induction of gluconeogenesis in N. crassa could be mediated by metabolites formed in carbon-starved cells. The cr-1 mutant seemed to be deficient in this process and to depend on an exogenous effector to induce gluconeogenesis. Incubation of cr-1 with cyclic AMP partially overcame the acetate requirement for induction of gluconeogenesis.

Molecular cloning, identification and transcriptional analysis of genes involved in acetate utilization in Neurospora crassa

Four Neurospora crassa genomic clones have been selected as hybridizing much more strongly to labelled mRNA isolated from acetate-grown mycelium than to mRNA from sucrose-grown mycelium. Hybridization of restriction fragments with acetate-specific mRNA or cDNA has been used to delimit the transcribed region(s) of each clone. The transcription of all four clones is strongly induced by transfer of growing mycelium from sucrose to acetate as sole carbon source. In wild-type mycelium, mRNAs corresponding to the four clones reach maximum levels after four hours of induction. They accumulate more rapidly and reach higher levels in an acetate non-utilizing mutant, acu-7, which has been found to overproduce enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle and to have a partial block in the TCA cycle. Molecular transformation of a Neurospora acu-5 mutant and of an Aspergillus nidulans acuE mutant by DNA of clone 2 and clone 1, respectively, strongly suggests that clone 2 codes for acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase and that clone 1 codes for malate synthase. The transcribed segments of clones 1 and 2 each hybridize to corresponding clones from Aspergillus nidulans (R. A. Sandeman and M. J. Hynes, personal communication).

[Regulation of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in Saccharomycopsis lipolytica. I. Effect of the carbon source on isocitrate lyase and malate synthase activity]

Comparative studies on the activities of isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase (MS) were carried out with Saccharomycopsis lipolytica incubating the yeast on media with different carbon sources. When cells were incubated in minimal medium with glucose, the activities of both enzymes were very low. In contrast, in minimal medium with acetate enhanced enzyme activities could be demonstrated. It is probably that the synthesis of ICL is repressed in presence of glucose. Furthermore the activity of ICL was inhibited by tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates like succinic acid and oxalacetic acid. It was concluded that the syntheses of enzymes are derepressed. When cells of Sm. lipolytica were incubated in minimal medium with acetate, a high enzyme activity is evident. Synthesis of ICL on acetate was inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomycin D. The results were discussed comparing them with data obtained from other organisms.

Biogenesis of glyoxysomes. Synthesis and intracellular transfer of isocitrate lyase

Biosynthesis of isocitrate lyase, a tetrameric enzyme of the glyoxysomal matrix, was studied in Neurospora crassa, in which the formation of glyoxysomes was induced by a substitution of sucrose medium by acetate medium. 1. Translation of Neurospora mRNA in reticulocyte lysates yields a product which has the same apparent molecular weight as the subunit of the functional enzyme. Using N-formyl[35S]methionyl-tRNAfMet as a label, the translation product shows the same apparent size which indicates that the amino terminus has no additional "signal'-type sequence. 2. Read-out systems employing free and membrane-bound polysomes show that only free ribosomes are active in the synthesis of isocitrate lyase. 3. Isocitrate lyase synthesized in reticulocyte lysate is released into the supernatant and is soluble in a monomeric form. It interacts with Triton X-100 to form mixed micells in contrast to the functional tetrameric form. 4. Transfer of isocitrate lyase synthesized in vitro into isolated glyoxysomes is suggested by results of experiments in which supernatants from reticulocyte lysates are incubated with a particle fraction isolated from acetate-grown cells. No transfer occurs when particles from non-induced cells are employed. Resistance to added proteinase is used as a criterion for transmembrane transfer. The data support a post-translational transfer mechanism for isocitrate lyase. They suggest that isocitrate lyase passes through a cytosolic precursor pool as a monomer and is transferred into glyoxysomes.