58 MYCOLOGY 



aclivity or be foreign substances. Acetic and lactic acids formed by 

 enzyme activity will destroy the ferments producing them unless 

 neutralized. Among foreign substances which act as paralyzers 

 may be mentioned formaldehyde, mercuric chloride, alcohol, chloro- 

 form and hydrocyanic acid. Anti-enzymes are a class of substances, 

 which are antagonistic to the action of enzymes. The distribution of 

 the enzymes in the various groups of fungi including the slime moulds, 

 bacteria and true fungi have been investigated by a number of zymolo- 

 gists. For example, Monilia sitophila may form maltase, trehalase, 

 raffinase, invertase, cytase, diastase, lipase, tyrosinase and trypsin. 

 Dox^ has demonstrated in moulds, the following: protease, nuclease, 

 amidase, lipase, emulsin, amylase, inulase, raffinase, sucrase, maltase, 

 lactase, histozyme, catalase and phytase, and he has found that these 

 enzymes are formed regardless of the chemic character of the substratum. 

 Without going into all the details of the occurrence of enzymes in the 

 fungi, the following classification of the principal enzymes found in the 

 various groups may prove useful to the student. 



Classification or Enzymes in Fungi 

 I. HYDROLYTIC ENZYMES. 



(a) Carbohydrate-splitting enzymes (carbohydrases) : 



Amylase, or Diastase, which hydrolyzes starch to dextrin and 

 maltose. The Koji fungus, Aspergillus oryzece (Taka-diastase). 

 Cytase, which hydrolyzes hemicellulose to galactose and mannose 

 in Botrytis. 



Inulase, which hydrolyzes inuhn to levulose. 

 Invertase, which hydrolyzes cane sugar to dextrose and levulose. 

 Saccharomyces, Fusarium, Aspergillus niger. 

 Lactase, which hydrolyzes lactose (milk sugar) to dextrose and 

 galactose. Kephir organism. 



Maltase, which hydrolyzes maltose (malt sugar) to dextrose. 

 Saccharomyces octosporus. 



Raffinase, which hydrolyzes raffinose to levulose and melitiose. 

 Aspergillus niger. 



Trehalase, decomposing trehalose into a reducing sugar. Poly- 

 porus sulphiireus. 

 1 Dox, A. W.: Enzyme Studies of Lower Fungi. Plant World, 15: 40, February 

 1912. 



