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Studies on Aspergillus Fumigatus; Casein Precipitating and Proteolytic Effects of Mycelial Filtrate

Studier au Aspergillus fumigatus; kaseinprecipiteran.de och proteolytisk verkan hos myceliefiltrat

Abstract

Schäffer (1900) and Butkewitch (1903) seem to have been the first to focus attention on the proteolytic activity of micro-fungi. The occurrence and properties of proteolytic enzymes from various fungus species were subsequently studied by several authors. Literature in this field was reviewed by e.g. Ito (1950), Gorbach & Koch (1955), Koch & Dedic (1957), Hagihara (1960), Davies (1963) and Roper & Fennell (1965).

In connection with investigation of the proteolytic activity of several fungus species, a gelatin hydrolyzing effect of Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) was reported to be exerted by living organisms in pure culture (Jensen 1931), extracted mycelial material (Maxwell 1950, Dingle & Solomons 1952), and by fluid culture medium in which AF was cultured (Dion 1950a, b, Dingle & Solomons). Ay res & Tobie (1943) demonstrated moderate casein hydrolyzing activity in extracted mycelial material from 4 AF strains, and Amatayakul (1955) observed low fibrinolytic activity in 1 strain.

Proteolytic activity measured by breakdown of gelatin and casein was demonstrated by Jonsson & Martin (1964) in culture medium in which AF had been cultured. Three activity optima were observed at pH values around 3, 6.5 and 10. A subsequent study indicated that the activity in neutral and alkaline environment was caused by the same enzyme (Martin & Jönsson 1965).

By means of electrophoretic separation combined with reactions for enzyme characterization, Tran Van Ky et al. (1966) demonstrated proteolytic activity in mycelial extracts of 21-day AF cultures. A casein precipitating enzyme (CP enzyme) was demonstrated by Sandvik (1967) in the fluid phase of frozen and thawed skimmilk agar cultures from e.g. AF.

In addition to haemolysin and toxin (Rutqvist 1965, 1968, Rutqvist & Persson 1966), mycelial filtrates of AF have proved to contain a proteolytic enzyme. An account is given in the following of a study of this enzyme with respect to (1) casein precipitating ability, (2) casein and gelatin hydrolyzing effect, and (3) relation to toxin and haemolysin.

Sammanfattning

I filtrat från myceliematerial från Aspergillus fumigatus, som kultiverats i proteos-pepton-jästextraktbuljong under 3 dagar vid 37° C påvisades förutom hämolysin och toxin även förekomst av proteolytiskt enzym. Enzymets kaseinprecipiterande förmåga samt dess kasein- och gelatinhydrolyserande verkan har undersökts.

Vid precipitation av filtrat med etanol, aceton eller ammoniumsulfat påvisades den högsta kaseinprecipiterande aktiviteten per mg N i precipitat från filtrat som fällts med 3 delar etanol. I detta precipitat påvisades samtidigt ingen mätbar hämolytisk och endast ringa toxisk aktivitet. De hämolytiska och toxiska aktiviteterna var per mg N störst i precipitat från ammoniumsulfatbehandlat filtrat.

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Rutqvist, L. Studies on Aspergillus Fumigatus; Casein Precipitating and Proteolytic Effects of Mycelial Filtrate. Acta Vet Scand 10, 18–35 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548293

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548293