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Analysis of phenomena involved in the apical growth of Phycomyces blakesleeanus

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Abstract

The effects of the Ca2+/H+ exchanger A23187 and the K+/H+ exchanger nigericin, the electrogenic membrane-potential depleters valinomycin and CCCP, and the calcium channel blockers ruthenium red, nifedipine, and nitrendipine on the apical growth of Phycomyces blakesleeanus were analyzed. While all of the compounds inhibited the growth of germlings in liquid medium, the Ca2+ channel blockers were the least effective. Chitin synthesis in vivo was also sensitive to the inhibitors; here again, the calcium channel blockers were less efficient, and their effect occurred after a lag phase, in contrast to the electroneutral ionophores whose effects were immediate. The ionophores rapidly inhibited protein secretion, and reduced the number of secretory vesicles and chitosomes in the hyphal apex of P. blakesleeanus. The results suggest that not only tip-to-base calcium gradients but also transmembrane ionic gradients and membrane potential have a role in the apical growth of P. blakesleeanus. They are probably involved in the formation, migration, and/or fusion with the plasmalemma of secretory vesicles and chitosomes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), México. JRH, FL, and GMC are National Investigators, México.

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Correspondence to José Ruiz-Herrera.

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Ruiz-Herrera, J., Martínez-Cadena, G., Loarca, F. et al. Analysis of phenomena involved in the apical growth of Phycomyces blakesleeanus . Arch Microbiol 180, 427–433 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0609-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-003-0609-5

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