Effects of cell wall deficiency on the synthesis of polysaccharide-degrading exoenzymes: a study on mycelial and wall-less phenotypes of the fz; sg; os-1 ('slime') triple mutant of Neurospora crassa

The production of exoenzymes which degrade cellulose, polygalacturonic acid and xylan was studied in mycelial and wall-less phenotypic derivatives of Neurospora crassa obtained by vegetative selection applied to a single fz;sg;os-1 ('slime'-like) segregant (strain RCP-3) of a cross 'slime' x wild type. The unrelated stable 'slime' strain FGSC 1118 was also studied. The synthesis of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes was normally induced by polysaccharidic substrates and was sensitive to carbon-catabolite repression for both mycelium-forming phenotypes (mycelial intermediate and spheroplast-hyphal intermediate) of strain RCP-3. The stable 'slime' from RCP-3 produced cellulose-degrading activity and xylan-degrading activity constitutively but was fully sensitive to glucose repression. The stable 'slime' RCP-3 did not synthesize polygalacturonic-acid-degrading activity, even in the presence of inducers. For the stable 'slime' FGSC 1118, all of the polysaccharide-degrading activities were produced constitutively and were markedly resistant to glucose repression. The possible epigenetic origin of the different properties of stable 'slimes' RCP-3 and FGSC 1118 is considered. These results may relate to the role of the cell surface in the processing of regulatory signals which control the adaptation of the fungal cell to the nutritional environment.