Inducible trehalase enzyme activity of Morchella conica Persoon mycelium

Morchella conica Pers. strains of the study were isolated from fruit bodies collected in ash-mixed forests. At first, the strains were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA), then on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) solid agar media. A normal-growing strain was chosen for the trehalase induction experiments. During the trehalase induction treatment, mycelia were grown in liquid culture containing different concentrations of trehalose. After the induction period of trehalase enzymes, physiological state of the mycelium and the oxidative stress were monitored in the vegetative mycelia by measuring the change of the malondialdehyde content, superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, the fresh and dry weight. The examined Morchella conica strain utilized the trehalose properly. The rising amount of the trehalose triggered the increase of the mycelial trehalase enzyme activity. Our results clearly proved that both neutral and acidic trehalase isoenzyme activity of the Morchella conica mycelium are inducible and are playing important role in the utilization of external trehalose.