• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.306-311
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• 1993

The effects of methanol. used as a solvent for the hydrophobic substrate progesterone. on the morphology of Rhizopus nigricans and 11$\alpha$-hydroxylation of progesterone was investigated. The methanol tolerance of the 11$\alpha$-hydroxylase system in polyacrylamide immobilized R. nigricans mycelia as well as in free mycelia has been induced by adding various unsaturated fatty acids. biotin and ions into the cultivation medium. Immobilization of the cell seemed to protect the cells from denaturation by methanol. It gave higher reaction rate of progesterone than the free mycelia in the presence of methanol.500 $\mu$g/l of biotin was found to be the most effective induction agent for the methanol tolerance among tested chemicals. R. nixricans cells sustained its enzymatic activity at higher methanol concentrations as a result of accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids. especially oleic acid. in the membrane phospholipid.