Regulation of production of proteolytic enzymes by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

Abstract

Synthesis of chymoelastase and trypsin by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae occurs rapidly (<2 h) during carbon and nitrogen derepression in minimal media. Enzyme levels were enhanced when minimal media were supplemented with insect cuticle or other insoluble polymetic nutrients (e.g. cellulose) that were insufficient to produce catabolite repression. Addition of more readily utilized metabolites (e.g. glucose or alanine) repressed protease production confirming that production is constitutive but repressible. Operational control of protease release involves synthesis rather than secretion because catabolite repression reduced endocellular activity (associated with a sedimentable vacuole containing fraction) as well as extracellular enzyme levels. Studies with metabolic inhibitors indicated that production of Pr1 and Pr2 does not require DNA synthesis. However, synthesis is substantially reduced by inhibitors of transcription (actinomycin D and 8-azoguanine) and translation (cyclohexamide and puromycin).

Inhibition by 8-azoguanine is relieved by guanine. These results imply that the operative steps in protease regulation involve de novo synthesis of mRNA. Inhibition of enzyme production by an AMP analogue adenosine 5′-0-thiophosphate implies an involvement for AMP-dependent enzyme systems in derepression. However, neither exogenous cAMP nor an inhibitor of cAMP phosphodiesterase relieved catabolite repression by glucose or NH₄Cl. Use of o-vanadate to inhibit plasmalemma ATPase confirmed that secretion of chymoelastase-like protease and trypsin-like protease via the cell membrane is an active process.