Fatty acids, fungal

A. Frostegard and E. Baath. The use of phospholipid fatty-acid analysis to e.stimatc bacterial and fungal biomass in soil, Biol. Eeiiil. Soll.s 22 59 (1996). 

Beyond physical barrier protection, several natural processes lead to skin surface conditions unfavorable to microbial growth. Both sebaceous and eccrine secretions are acidic, lowering the surface pH of the skin below that welcomed by most pathogens. This acid mantle (pH 5) [16] is moderately bacteriostatic. Sebum also contains a number of short-chain fungistatic and bacteriostatic fatty acids, including propanoic, butanoic, hexanoic, and heptanoic acids [17]. That the skin s surface is dry also offers a level of protection. It comes as no surprise that fungal infections and other skin infections are more prevalent in the skin s folds... 

Fungal cutinase catalyzes hydrolysis of model substrates and in particular p-nitrophenyl esters of short chain fatty acids, providing a convenient spectro-photometric assay for this enzyme activity [101,102,116]. Hydrolysis of model esters by this cutinase showed the high degree of preference of this enzyme for primary alcohol ester hydrolysis. Wax esters and methyl esters of fatty acids were hydrolyzed at low rates. Alkane-2-ol esters were hydrolyzed much more slowly than wax esters and esters of mid-chain secondary alcohols were not... 

Residues of fatty acids from emulsion polymerisation and from cure activation provide sites for bacterial attack when the rubber product is exposed to warm moist conditions. The addition of a biocide/fimgicide will give excellent fungal growth protection. 

The example of a total extract composition of a tropical soil from the Amazon, Brazil, shows mycose as the major compound, numerous other monosaccharides, lipid components such as fatty acids and fatty alcohols, and natural product biomarkers (Fig. 9a). The mycose and elevated levels of the other saccharides reflect the efficient fungal/microbial degradation of plant detritus in the tropics. This can be compared to the saccharides in the soil from an almond orchard in California, where glucose and mycose are the main sugars with lipids, sterols and triterpenoids (Fig. 9b, ). 

The biopolymer cutin is a major constituent of the plant cuticle that provides a protective covering for plants (1,2). At the time of infection, a number of fungal pathogens secrete an extracellular hydrolytic enzyme, cutinase, which facilitates the degradation of cutin into its constituent Ci6-to Cig-length hydroxy fatty acids (3,4). Since the enzyme is believed to... 

In order to enhance the potential of synthetic reactions of lipids and the transesterification in organic solvents, a fungal lipase from Phycomyces nites was chemically modified. The promotion of dispersibility in orgaiuc solvents resulted in a much higher reactivity. Chemically modified lipases showed higher reactivity than unmodified lipase when they were utilized for the transesterification of triglycerides and other lipids. The initial rate of transesterification in organic solvents by modified lipase was 40 times faster than that of unmodified lipase. Chemically modified lipase was also found applicable for the syndesis of other fatty acids esters. 

A number of mammalian and fungal enzyme systems, whole cells and entire animals have been shown to respond differently to fatty acids which vary in number and position of unsaturation, geometrical isomers, or cyclopropyl ring positions (110,116). 

Saraf, A., Larsson, L., Burge, H., and Milton, D. (1997), Quantification of ergosterol and 3-hydroxy fatty acids in settled house dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry Comparison with fungal culture and determination of endotoxin by a Limulus amoebo-cyte lysate assay, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 63, 2554-2559. 

To extend this unique fungal ability of fatty acid transformation, several kinds of PUFA biosynthesis mutants of M. alpina 1S-4 have been isolated through... 

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