Lower fungi

Microbe An organism which cannot be observed with the naked eye e. g. unicellular animals, lower algae, lower fungi, bacteria. [NIH]... 

The fungi are classified broadly into the lower fungi, collectively known as Phycomycetes, and the higher fungi, described by the classes Ascomy-cetes, Deuteromycetes and Basidiomycetes. The classification is indistinct some taxonomists argue that the Phycomycetes are not true fungi. 

Lysine cannot be made at all by animals but is nutritionally essential. There are two distinct pathways for its formation in other organisms. Tire a-aminoadipate pathway (shown in Fig. 24-9) occurs in a few lower fungi, the higher fungi, and euglenids. 

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. 

The vegetative body is a thallus. It consists of filaments about 5 pm in diameter which are multi-branched or spread over or into the nutrient medium. The filaments or hyphae, can be present without cross walls as in lower fungi or divided into cells by septa in higher fungi. The total hyphal mass of the fungal thallus is called the mycelium. In certain situations during transition between asexual and sexual reproduction, various other tissue structures are formed, e.g. plectrenchyma (mushroom flesh). 

Recent chemical studies on the soluble metabolites of the lower fungi and bacteria have revealed that 3-amino-3-deoxy sugars are often components thereof. Several closely related amino sugars have been reported. The stereochemistry of 3-amino-3-deoxy-D-ribose and 3-amino-3-deoxy-D-glu-cose66a have now been fully elucidated, and skeletal structures have been assigned (see Table II, p. 231) to the others, generally on the basis of periodate oxidation patterns. 

Hartmannova, V. Kuhr, I. (1974). Copper leaching by lower fungi. Rudy, 22, 234-8. 

At the dawn of the twentieth century, only a few simple fermentation products such as oxalic acid and citric acid had been isolated from the lower fungi. Soon after World War I, Harold Raistrick initiated the first systematic studies of the chemistry of mould metabolites and in the course of the following four decades made a seminal contribution to the recognition of fiingi as a major source of natural products. ... 

Distribution and properties of GDH s in over 40 species of fungi have been reviewed by LeJohn (23) who has concluded that, whereas higher fungi of the classes Deuteromycetes, Ascomycetes, and Basidiomycetes possess two distinct enzymes, lower fungi, members of the Phycomycetes and Myxomycetes (slime molds), have only one enzyme active with NAD. However, vegetative cell homogenates of Dictyostelium discoideum possess both an enzyme that is active with NAD and NADP, and one active only with NAD 2Ji). 

Some of the enzymes from lower fungi, investigated by L John, are modulated by purine nucleotides, but generally in a different way from the regulation of GDH s from animal sources for example, whereas GDH s from Achlya and Saprolegnia are only weakly affected by purine nucleotides at concentrations of about 1 mM, that from Pythium is completely inhibited, in the direction of oxidative deamination, by 1 mM AMP (25). 

Stabilities of GDH s from microorganisms vary greatly. Whereas the NADP-GDH from Neurospora retains activity for several days at 50° and pH 7.2 (152), the NAD-GDH inactivates rapidly at raised temperatures and low ionic strengths, but is more stable in the presence of NAD (1 mAf) and the competitive inhibitor isophthalate (64). NAD-GDH s from lower fungi are also reported to be unstable (71), but those isolated from Clostridium SBj (35) and Peptococcus aerogenes (31) are stable at 50°, and so are the NADP-dependent enzymes of Salmonella... 

In fact, lower fungi with flagellated spores suitable for aquatic life represent less than 15% of the strains found [1]. Thus, it would seem apparent that higher fungi have the capacity to adapt perfectly well to the conditions of marine life (saltwater), although it is not certain that this should qualify them as marine fungi. 

B. Selected Other Alkaloids from Lower Fungi. 320... 

The following lists structures, sources, and references pertaining to studies of other alkaloids isolated from lower fungi, compiled from recent reports in the literature. 

A group of cyclic oligopeptide antibiotics (C. A to Z) discovered in 1972 from lower fungi (e.g., Tricho-derma polysporum) with remarkable biological activ-... 

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