Multiple forms of endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase in the extracellular cellulase of Penicillium pinophilum.

The influence of the composition of the growth medium on the production of endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase (CM-cellulase) activity by P. pinophilum was studied in shake flask cultures using Avicel PH101 as the carbon source. It was observed that the culture conditions had a profound effect on the level of endoglucanase (CM-cellulase) produced by P. pinophilum. However, isoelectric focusing of the endoglucanase activity obtained from shake flask and fermenter cultures using the same growth medium revealed that the enzyme system found in both cultures was identical qualitatively, and contained seven or eight different endoglucanase components. All the endoglucanase components appeared simultaneously in the early stages of culture and prolonged incubation resulted only in an increase in the concentration of these enzymes. Protease levels were found to be low in both types of culture but were particularly so in the growth medium which contained corn steep liquor. The proteases were unable to release low molecular weight peptides when P. pinophilum cellulase protein was used as a substrate. The results were interpreted to indicate that the multiplicity of endoglucanase components found in cultures of P. pinophilum is most likely the result of expression of a number of specific genes rather than by post-secretional modification of one or more endoglucanase(s) synthesized by the fungus.