Pexophagy modes during penicillin biosynthesis in Penicillium rubens P2-32-T.

Pexophagy is a peroxisome degradation process. The last two steps of penicillin biosynthesis in Penicillium rubens are carried out in peroxisomes. These organelles proliferate in large numbers during this process, so that after the penicillin secretion, their removal is essential as a regulatory mechanism. In this work, two pexophagy modes are described for the high-penicillin producing strain P. rubens P2-32-T, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on 24- and 48-h cultures (when maximum penicillin production is achieved). The obtained images show peroxisome phagocytosis by vacuoles in three different ways: macropexophagy, micropexophagy, and a new proposed model: unipexophagy.