Prototheca zopfii

Koenig DW, HB Ward (1983) Prototheca zopfii Kruger strain UMK-13 growth on acetate or -alkanes. Appl Environ Microbiol 45 333-336. 

Coumarin (2H-l-benzopyran-2-one) is a known inhibitor of cellulose formation,355-357 and Hopp and coworkers358 found that, in membranes from the alga Prototheca zopfii, it inhibits the transfer in vitro of the lipid-linked cello-oligosaccharide to its protein acceptor (see Section II,2,b). 

On the basis of these findings, Pont Lezica and co workers341 proposed a scheme, involving glucolipids and a glucoprotein as intermediates, for the biosynthesis of cellulose in Prototheca zopfii this is shown in Scheme 2. 

Scheme 2. —Proposed Scheme for the Reactions Involved in the Synthesis of Cellulose in the Green Alga Prototheca zopfii (After Hopp and Coworkers141). [Abbreviations used are Dol = dolichol, Glc = D-glucose, Dol-P = dolichol phosphate, -P-P = diphosphate, and P, = inorganic phosphate.]...

Chlorophyta (algae) Prototheca zopfii saturated 18-21 c.h., reversed-phase t.I.c." 53... 

T. beigelii, T. capitatum Cryptococcus neoformans Coccidioides immitis Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Histoplasma capsulatum Torulopsis glabrata Mucor indicus Prototheca wickerhamii Prototheca zopfii... 

The apochlorotic alga (protozoan) Prototheca zopfii that is able to degrade aliphatic hydrocarbons (Walker and Pore 1978 Koenig and Ward 1983) ... 

Membrane preparations from the alga Prototheca zopfii incorporate D-mannose and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose from their respective sugar nucleotides into acid labile glycolipids whose properties are consistent with those of dolichyl D-mannopyranosyl phosphate. The intermediate appears to be involved in the formation of glycoproteins containing high proportions of D-mannosyl residues of the type present in more-evolved eukaryotes. 

Figure 5.7 Cellulose Synthesis in Prototheca zopfii. For details see text.

The biosynthesis of cellulose is inhibited by the presence of coumarin in the algae Prototheca zopfii. The only step in the biosynthetic pathway which is inhibited is the transfer of oligosaccharide chains from the lipid intermediate to the protein acceptor. The transfer of mannose residues by a similar reaction is not inhibited. 

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