Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The transport of ammonium and methylammonium in wild type and mutant cells of Aspergillus nidulans

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

An active transport system specific for ammonium and methylammonium is decribed in wild type cells of Aspergillus nidulans. This system has a Km of less than 5x10-5 M for ammonium as measured by the uptake of 15NH+ 4 and a Km of 2x10-5 M and apparent Vmax of 11 nanomoles/min/mg dry weight for methylammonium, by the uptake of 14C methylammonium. The system concentrates methylammonium at least 120-fold and is probably regulated by the concentration of internal ammonium.

Cells of the mutant strain DER-3 possess a reduced rate of ammonium and methylammonium transport under all conditions tested. DER-3 is a double mutant, one mutation being allelic with meaA8 and designated meaA21, the other is unlinked to meaA and designated mod meaA. The heterozygous diploid DER3/+ has wild type transport, indicating that the mutations are recessive. Cells of the mutant strain amrA1 have impaired transport of ammonium and methylammonium, but only under some conditions. amrA1 is recessive. The possible defects of these mutants are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arst, H. N., Cove, D. J.: Methylammonium resistance in Aspergillus nidulans. J. Bact. 98, 1284–1293 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Arst, H. N., Page, M. M.: Mutants of Aspergillus nidulans altered in the transport of methylammonium and ammonium. Molec. gen. Genet. 121, 239–245 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cove, D. J.: The induction and repression of nitrate reductase in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 113, 51–56 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cybis, J., Weglenski, P.: Arginase Induction in Aspergillus nidulans. Europ. J. Biochem. 30, 262–268 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grenson, M., Hou, C.: Ammonia inhibition of the general amino acid permease and its supperssion in NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 48, 749–756 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackette, S. L., Skye, G. E., Burton, C., Segel, I. H.: Characterisation of an ammonium transport system in filamentous fungi with methylammonium 14C as the substrate. J. biol. Chem. 245, 4241–4250 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaback, H. R.: Transport. Ann. Rev. Biochem. 39, 561–598 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinghorn, J. R., Pateman, J. A.: NAD and NADP L-glutamate dehydrogenase activity and ammonium regulation in Aspergillus nidulans. J. gen. Microbiol. 78, 39–46 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauford, H. G., Williams, G. R.: The transport of citrate and other tricarboxylic acids in two species of Pseudomonas. Biochem. J. 123, 571–577 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, E. C. C.: The genetics of bacterial transport systems. Ann. Rev. Genet. 4, 225–261 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lineweaver, H., Burk, D.: The determination of enzyme dissociation constants. J. Amer. chem. Soc. 56, 658–666 (1934)

    Google Scholar 

  • McCully, K. S., Forbes, E.: Use of p-fluorophenylalanine with master strains of Aspergillus nidulans. Genet. Res. 6, 352–359 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Muftic, M. K.: A new phenol-hypochlorite reaction for ammonia. Nature (Lond.) 201, 622–623 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholas, D. J. D., Fisher, D. J.: Nitrogen fixation in extracts of Azotobacter vinelandii. J. Sci. Food Agric. 10, 603–608 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Omai, K., Iijima, T., Hasegawa, T.: Transport of tricarboxylic acids in Salmonella typhimurium. J. Bact. 114, 961–965 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pai, C. H.: Biotin uptake in biotin regulatory mutant of Escherichia coli. J. Bact. 116, 494–496 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pateman, J. A., Cove, D. J.: Regulation of nitrate reduction in Aspergillus nidulans. Nature (Lond.) 215, 1234–1239 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pateman, J. A., Kinghorn, J. R., Dunn, E., Forbes, E.: Ammonium regulation in Aspergillus nidulans. J. Bact. 114, 943–950 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pontecorvo, G., Roper, J. A., Hemmons, L. M., MacDonald, K. D., Bufton, A. W. J.: The genetics of Aspergillus nidulans. Advanc. Genet. 5, 141–238 (1953)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, T. O., Lichstein, H. C.: Characterisation of the biotin transport system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Bact. 100, 557–564 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Segel, I. H., Johnston, M. J.: Synthesis and characterization of sodium cysteine-s-sulphate monohydrate. Anal. Biochem. 5, 330–335 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland

    J. A. Pateman, E. Dunn, J. R. Kinghorn & E. C. Forbes

Authors
  1. J. A. Pateman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Dunn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. R. Kinghorn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. C. Forbes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by W. Gajewski

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pateman, J.A., Dunn, E., Kinghorn, J.R. et al. The transport of ammonium and methylammonium in wild type and mutant cells of Aspergillus nidulans . Molec. Gen. Genet. 133, 225–236 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267672

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267672

Keywords

Search

Navigation