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C Scazzocchio

Publications and source records attributed to C Scazzocchio.

102 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1969

Permeability properties of Aspergillus nidulans protoplasts.

The regeneration of mycelial forms from protoplasts of mutant and wild-type strains of Aspergillus nidulans was followed microscopically under conditions with which the rate of regeneration depends upon a specific transport function. This method has shown that at least four uptake systems-one for divalent anions, two for purines, and one for sugars-remain functional after removal of the cell wall.

Aspergillus↗
PubMed1967

Use of analogues and the substrate-sensitivity of mutants in analysis of purine uptake and breakdown in Aspergillus nidulans.

Aspergillus mutants resistant to various purine analogues (purine, 8-azaguanine, 2-thioxanthine, and 2-thiouric acid) are defective in at least one step of purine uptake or breakdown. The properties of these mutants show that there are two uptake systems for purines, one which mediates the uptake of hypoxanthine, guanine, and adenine, and the other, xanthine and uric acid. Allantoinase-less strains are sensitive to the toxic effects of allantoin accumulation. They are severely inhibited when grown in the presence of naturally occurring purines. Mutant strains derived from these, resistant to naturally occurring purines, may be isolated. These are either wild-type revertants, or carry a second metabolic block in the uptake or breakdown of purines. The properties of these double mutants confirm the interpretation of the nature of the analogue-resistant mutants.

Allantoin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mutational analysis of the major proline transporter (PrnB) of Aspergillus nidulans.

PrnB, the l-proline transporter of Aspergillus nidulans, belongs to the Amino acid Polyamine Organocation (APC) transporter family conserved in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In silico analysis and limited biochemical evidence suggest that APC transporters comprise 12 transmembrane segments (TMS) connected with relatively short hydrophilic loops (L). However, very little is known on the structure-function relationships in APC transporters. This work makes use of the A. nidulans PrnB transporter to address structure-function relationships by selecting, constructing and analysing several prnB mutations. In the sample, most isolated missense mutations affecting PrnB function map in the borders of cytoplasmic loops with transmembrane domains. These are I119N and G120W in L2-TMS3, F278V in L6-TMS7, NRT378NRTNRT and PY382PYPY in L8-TMS9 and T456N in L10-TMS11. A single mutation (G403E) causing, however, a very weak phenotype, maps in the borders of an extracellular loop (L9-TMS10). An important role of helix TMS6 for proline binding and transport is supported by mutations K245L and, especially, F248L that clearly affect PrnB uptake kinetics. The critical role of these residues in proline binding and transport is further shown by constructing and analysing isogenic strains expressing selected prnB alleles fused to the gene encoding the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). It is shown that, while some prnB mutations affect proper translocation of PrnB in the membrane, at least two mutants, K245E and F248L, exhibit physiological cellular expression of PrnB and, thus, the corresponding mutations can be classified as mutations directly affecting proline binding and/or transport. Finally, comparison of these results with analogous studies strengthens conclusions concerning amino acid residues critical for function in APC transporters.

Amino Acid Sequence↗