Ontological and environmental influences on ergosterol content and activities of polyamine biosynthesis enzymes in Hebeloma crustuliniforme mycelia

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Abstract
Analyses of ergosterol and activities of arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) were used as estimates of fungal mass and metabolic activity, respectively, in aerial mycelia of Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Bull.:St. Amans) Quel. Omission of inorganic P from the medium decreased the ergosterol concentration of perimeter mycelia by 15-30% and increased ADC and ODC activities up to 6-fold. The magnitude of changes with omission of glucose C were similar but the trend was reversed. Ergosterol content and enzyme activities differed among colony locations; perimeter mycelia contained up to 1.8 times more ergosterol and up to 3.6 times more ADC and ODC activity per gram than mycelia at the core. Ergosterol mass and colony mass were positively correlated; the equation Y = -5.46 + 0.38(X), where Y = mycelia mass (mg) and X = ergosterol mass (.mu.g), accounted for 77% of the variance in colony mass. The ratio of ODC:ADC activity was 21 at the perimeter and 30 at the core; activity ratios may be used to infer maturation state of a fungal colony. Potential application of ergosterol content and activities of ADC and ODC as biochemical indices in mycological research is discussed.