Morphology-associated expression nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase in Mucorracemosus

The in vivo regulation of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) was studied in Mucor racemosus as a function of nutritional conditions and morphological state. Both nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)-dependent GDH activities were found. The effect of carbon and nitrogen source on the specific activity of the NAD-dependent GDH suggests that its role is primarily catabolic. The NAD-dependent activity was generally an order of magnitude greater in mycelial cells than in yeast-phase cells grown on the same medium. During yeast-to-hyphal morphogenesis the increase in NAD-dependent activity preceded the appearance of hyphal cells both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Exogenous dibutyryl-cyclic AMP prevented the increase in NAD-dependent GDH concomitantly with the suppression of morphological differentiation. The NADP-dependent activity did not change appreciably during morphogenesis.