Biomedical subjects

Y Peleg

Publications and source records attributed to Y Peleg.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

A simple plate-assay for the screening of L-malic acid producing microorganisms.

A simple plate-assay has been developed to screen microorganisms for L-malic acid production. Acid producing organisms were identified, after microbial colony growth on media containing glucose or fumaric acid as sole carbons sources, by formation of a dark halo of formazan. The halo was observed when the plate was covered with a soft agar overlay containing NAD(+)-malate dehydrogenase, NAD+, phenazine methosulfate (PMS) and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The assay developed is simple, specific for L-malic acid and therefore can be used to identify L-malic acid producing filamentous fungi using glucose as carbon source (e.g. Aspergillus strains). The assay is also applicable for screening bacteria with high fumarase activity, able to convert fumaric acid to L-malic acid.

Aspergillus↗

PubMed1990

Localization of pyruvate carboxylase in organic acid-producing Aspergillus strains.

The localization of pyruvate carboxylase (cytosolic or mitochondrial) was studied in nine different Aspergillus species (14 strains). In some species (A. aculeatus, A. flavus, A. foetidus, A. nidulans, A. ochraceus, and A. sojae), the pyruvate carboxylase activity could be detected only in the cytosolic fraction of the cells. Pyruvate carboxylase has been found only in the mitochondrial fraction of two strains of Aspergillus wentii. In Aspergillus oryzae and in five strains of Aspergillus niger, pyruvate carboxylase activity was detected both in the mitochondrial fraction and in the cytosol. There was no quantitative or qualitative correlation between the activities of pyruvate carboxylase in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions of the cells and the ability of the various Aspergillus strains to accumulate different organic acids.

Aspergillus↗

PubMed1990

Inducible overexpression of the FUM1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: localization of fumarase and efficient fumaric acid bioconversion to L-malic acid.

Cloning of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae FUM1 gene downstream of the strong GAL10 promoter resulted in inducible overexpression of fumarase in the yeast. The overproducing strain exhibited efficient bioconversion of fumaric acid to L-malic acid with an apparent conversion value of 88% and a conversion rate of 80.4 mmol of fumaric acid/h per g of cell wet weight, both of which are much higher than parameters known for industrial bacterial strains. The only product of the conversion reaction was L-malic acid, which was essentially free of the unwanted by-product succinic acid. The GAL10 promoter situated upstream of a promoterless FUM1 gene led to production and correct distribution of the two fumarase isoenzyme activities between cytosolic and mitochondrial subcellular fractions. The amino-terminal sequence of fumarase contains the mitochondrial signal sequence since (i) 92 of 463 amino acid residues from the amino terminus of fumarase are sufficient to localize fumarase-lacZ fusions to mitochondria and (ii) fumarase and fumarase-lacZ fusions lacking the amino-terminal sequence are localized exclusively in the cytosol. The possibility that both mitochondrial and cytosolic fumarases are derived from the same initial translation product is discussed.

Cloning, Molecular↗