Growth and Macromolecular Content of the Dimorphic Fungus Aureobasidium Pullulans and the Effect of Hydroxyurea and Other Inhibitors

The growth kinetics and the macromolecular content of the yeast and ethanol-induced hyphal forms of Aureobasidium pullulans were studied. During the morphological transition from yeasts to hyphae, both the protein and RNA content decreased significantly, the mycelial form containing only 76% of the amount of protein in the yeasts, and 38% of the RNA. The DNA was the only component tested whose level increased during the transition. Among several compounds inhibiting macromolecular synthesis, only hydroxyurea showed a remarkable effect on the morphology of A. pullulans, inducing the mycelial morphology. The macromolecular composition of hydroxyurea-treated cultures changed with time in a way similar to that of the ethanol-Tween 80-ammonia medium, and to that of carbon-starved cultures, without ethanol or glucose.