Fungi and Other Lower Plants

Fames fomentarius, 39 Penicillium aurantio-virens Biourge, 37 

Penicillium vermiculatum Dangeard, 36 Phomopsis sp., 37 Streptomyces achromogenes var. tomaymyceticus, 36 Streptomyces nogalater var. 

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Fungi and Other Lower Plant Biosynthetic Products... 

Sesquiterpenes are the Ci representatives of the terpenoid family and are formally considered to be constructed of three isoprene units. Sesquiterpenes are certainly as widely distributed in the plant kingdom as monoterpenes, and the two types of terpenoids commonly co-occur in steam-distilled or extracted essential oils, with the sesquiterpenes generally present at lower levels (Karrer, 1958 Gildemeister and Hoffmann, 1956-1%3 Guenther, 1976). Additionally, sesquiterpenes are synthesized by many fungi (Turner, 1971 McCorkindale, 1976) and other lower plants (Anderson et al., 1978), whereas monoterpenes are uncommon in lower plants (Collins, 1976). Halogenated sesquiterpenes occur in marine algae (Moore, 1977). 

The 5-carbon 2-oxoglutarate is the starting compound. Bacteria, other lower fungi, and green plants all use the diaminopimelate pathway (Fig. 24-14) which originates with the 4-carbon aspartate. 

As we will see, the evolutionary tree is bisected into a lower prokaryotic domain and an upper eukaryotic domain. The terms prokaryote and eukaryote refer to the most basic division between cell types. The fundamental difference is that eukaryotic cells contain a membrane-bounded nucleus, whereas prokaryotes do not. The cells of prokaryotes usually lack most of the other membrane-bounded organelles as well. Plants, fungi, and animals are eukaryotes, and bacteria are prokaryotes. The biochemical functions associated with organelles are frequently present in bacteria, but they are usually located on the inner plasma membrane. 

Other plants such as potatoes, cauliflower, cherries, and soybeans and several fungi may also be used as sources of peroxidase enzymes. Soybeans, in particular, may represent a valuable source of peroxidase because the enzyme is found in the seed coat, which is a waste product from soybean-based industries [90]. In this case, it may be possible to use the solid waste from the soybean industry to treat the wastewaters of various chemical industries. In fact, the direct use of raw soybean hulls to accomplish the removal of phenol and 2-chlorophenol has been demonstrated [105]. However, it should be noted that this type of approach would result in an increase in the amount of solid residues that must be disposed following treatment. Peroxidases extracted from tomato and water hyacinth plants were also used to polymerize phenolic substrates [106], Actual plant roots were also used for in vivo experiments of pollutant removal. The peroxidases studied accomplished good removal of the test substrate guaiacol and the plant roots precipitated the phenolic pollutants at the roots surface. It was suggested that plant roots be used as natural immobilized enzyme systems to remove phenolic compounds from aquatic systems and soils. The direct use of plant material as an enzyme source represents a very interesting alternative to the use of purified enzymes due to its potentially lower cost. However, further studies are needed to confirm the feasibility of such a process. 

Soluble copper salts are extremely toxic both to higher plants and to the lower groups such as algae as well as to the fungi and bacteria that may attack them. The addition of lime to copper sulfate to precipitate a relatively insoluble basic copper sulfate provided among other properties an aqueous concentration of cupric ion sufficient to combat the fungi but insufficient to interfere with, except marginally, the normal metabolic processes of the plant. 

O-GlcNAcylation, on the other hand, is not further extended. There are a few other less commonly found 0-glycosylations, which one should be aware of when the samples to be analyzed are derived from lower animals, plants, fungi, and protozoa. 

Both macro- and micro-elements are nutrients that are necessary for the growth and normal development of organisms and whose function cannot be taken on by any other element. They are therefore termed essential . For this reason, macro- and microelements are also called macro- or micro-nutrients. A division into essential and non-essential elements is not always appropriate, since there are numerous exceptions that become apparent when, for example, higher and lower plants are compared. We now know that calcium, boron and chlorine are not essential to some bacteria and fungi, and that sodium and silicon are not essential to higher plants (Marschner, 1983). 

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