Influence of insecticide residues on growth and activity ofStreptococcus diacetilactis andLeuconostoc cremoris

Summary Reconstituted skimmed milk powder containing the insecticides fenvalerate (benzene acetic acid, 4-chloro--1-methylcyano-3-phenoxyphenyl methyl ester), malathion (O,O-dimethyl-S-1, 2-bis-ethoxycarbonyl ethyl phosphorothioate) and DDT (2,2-bis-p-chlorophenyl-1,1,1-trichloroethane) in different concentrations (0, 50,100 and 200 ppm) was separately inoculated withStreptococcus lactis subsp.diacetilactis andLeuconostoc cremoris and incubated at 30°C for 120 h. Fenvalerate was more inhibitory towardsL. cremoris than other insecticides. Malathion strongly inhibited growth ofS. diacetilactis. Fenvalerate inhibited acid production byS. diacetilactis, but had no effect on acid production byL. cremoris. S. diacetilactis was in general more sensitive to all insecticides studied thanL. cremoris. S. diacetilactis produced more acidity and less acetaldehyde than those produced byL. cremoris whether in the presence or absence of insecticide.

---

Influence des résidus d'insecticide sur la croissance et l'activité de Streptococcus diacetilactis et de Leuconostoc cremoris

Résumé On a inoculé du lait écrémé, reconstitué à partir de poudre, contenant les insecticides fenvalerate (ester méthylique de l'acide 4-chloro--1-methylcyano-3-phenoxyphenyl benzene acétique), malathion (O,O-diméthyl-S-1,2-bis-éthoxycarbonyl éthyl phosphorothioate) et DDT (2,2-bis-p-chlorophenyl-1,1,1-trichloroéthane) à différentes concentrations (0, 50, 100 et 200 ppm), par leStreptococcus lactis, subsp.diacetilactis ou par leLeuconostoc cremoris. Après incubation à 30°C pendant 120 h, le fenvalerate s'est révélé plus inhibiteur duL. cremoris que les autres insecticides. Le malathion inhibe fortement la croissance deS. diacetilactis. Le fenvalerate inhibe l'acidogénèse parS. diacetilactis mais n'a aucun effet sur l'acidogénèse deL. cremoris. S. diacetilactis est en général plus sensible à tous les insecticides étudiés queL. cremoris. S. diacetilactis est plus acidogène et produit moins d'acétaldehyde que ne le faitL. cremoris que ce soit en présence ou en absence d'insecticide.

     

Associative growth studies in three-strain mixtures of lactic streptococci

A recently developed differential agar medium was used to study associative growth patterns in 17 different heterologous, three-strain mixtures of Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris, and S. diacetilactis grown in milk. Mixtures were made by combining equal volumes of 18-hr milk cultures of the three species. Relative populations of component species were followed through three successive transfers in milk after the initial mixed propagation. Direct evidence for strain dominance and compatibility was obtained. A procedure also was developed to estimate the extent of suppression of S. lactis and S. diacetilactis in a mixture containing a dominant S. cremoris strain. The technique described could be successfully applied in quality-control work in the dairy-starter manufacturing industry.     

Improved medium for lactic streptococci and their bacteriophages

Incorporation of 1.9% β-disodium glycerophosphate (GP) into a complex medium resulted in improved growth by lactic streptococci at 30 C. The medium, called M17, contained: Phytone peptone, 5.0 g; polypeptone, 5.0 g; yeast extract, 2.5 g; beef extract, 5.0 g; lactose, 5.0 g; ascorbic acid, 0.5 g; GP, 19.0 g; 1.0 M MgSO₄·7H₂O, 1.0 ml; and glass-distilled water, 1,000 ml. Based on absorbance readings and total counts, all strains of Streptococcus cremoris, S. diacetilactis, and S. lactis grew better in M17 medium than in a similar medium lacking GP or in lactic broth. Enhanced growth was probably due to the increased buffering capacity of the medium, since pH values below 5.70 were not reached after 24 h of growth at 30 C by S. lactis or S. cremoris strains. The medium also proved useful for isolation of bacterial mutants lacking the ability to ferment lactose; such mutants formed minute colonies on M17 agar plates, whereas wild-type cells formed colonies 3 to 4 mm in diameter. Incorporation of sterile GP into skim milk at 1.9% final concentration resulted in enhanced acid-producing activity by lactic streptococci when cells were inoculated from GP milk into skim milk not containing GP. M17 medium also proved superior to other media in demonstrating and distinguishing between lactic streptococcal bacteriophages. Plaques larger than 6 mm in diameter developed with some phage-host combinations, and turbid plaques, indicative of lysogeny, were also easily demonstrated for some systems.     

Agar medium for differential enumeration of lactic streptococci

An agar medium containing arginine and calcium citrate as specific substrates, diffusible (K₂HPO₄) and undiffusible (CaCO₃) buffer systems, and bromocresol purple as the pH indicator was developed to differentiate among lactic streptococci in pure and mixed cultures. Milk was added as the sole source of carbohydrate (lactose) and to provide growth-stimulating factors. Production of acid from lactose caused developing bacterial colonies to seem yellow. Subsequent arginine utilization by Streptococcus lactis and S. diacetilactis liberated ammonia, resulting in a localized pH shift back toward neutrality and a return of the original purple indicator hue. The effects of production of acid from lactose and ammonia were fixed around individual colonies by the buffering capacity of CaCO₃. After 36 hr at 32 C in a candle oats jar, colonies of S. cremoris were yellow, whereas colonies of S. lactis and S. diacetilactis were white. S. diacetilactis, on further incubation, utilized suspended calcium citrate, and, after 6 days, the citrate-degrading colonies exhibited clear zoning against a turbid background, making them easily distinguishable from the colonies of the other two species. The medium proved suitable for quantitative differential enumeration when compared with another widely used general agar medium for lactic streptococci.     

Studies on the Proteolytic Action of Dairy Lactic Acid Bacteria

Streptococcus cremoris was cultivated for 7 days at 30°C in sterilized skim milk or in the sterilized 10% solution of dry skim milk. This skim milk culture was divided into precipitate and supernatant by centrifugation. The absorbancy at 280 mμ of the supernatant prepared from the skim milk culture of S. cremoris was higher than that of the control supernatant.

Casein prepared from the skim milk culture of S. cremoris was less hydrolyzed by rennet than control casein at pH 7.0.

According to the free boundary electrophoretic analysis of the treated casein in m/10 veronal buffer of pH 8.5 containing urea, α-casein seemed to be hydrolyzed by S. cremoris but β-casein did with more difficulty.     

Molar Growth Yields of Certain Lactic Acid Bacteria as Influenced by Autolysis

Molar growth yields determined from batch cultures of Streptococcus diacetilactis and S. faecalis were appreciably greater at the peaks of maximal growth than after continued incubation and considerable autolysis. The higher molar growth yields were about equal to those determined in a continuous culture. Autolysis during logarithmic growth was minimal. The average Y value for adenosine triphosphate (ATP), determined by using limiting concentrations of glucose, galactose, lactose, and maltose for growing S. diacetilactis and limiting concentrations of glucose for growing S. lactis, S. cremoris, and S. faecalis, was 17.0. This is close to the Y (arginine) value of 17.8 determined with S. faecalis, but 62% greater than the generally accepted value of 10.5. Data are presented indicating that the often-used Y (ATP) value of 10.5 is erroneously low.     

Effect of C-Terminal Protein Tags on Pentitol and l-Arabinose Transport by Ambrosiozyma monospora Lat1 and Lat2 Transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Functional expression in heterologous hosts is often less successful for integral membrane proteins than for soluble proteins. Here, two Ambrosiozyma monospora transporters were successfully expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as tagged proteins. Growth of A. monospora on l-arabinose instead of glucose caused transport activities of l-arabinose, l-arabitol, and ribitol, measured using l-[1-³H]arabinose, l-[¹⁴C]arabitol, and [¹⁴C]ribitol of demonstrated purity. A. monospora LAT1 and LAT2 genes were cloned earlier by using their ability to improve the growth of genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae on l-arabinose. However, the l-arabinose and pentitol transport activities of S. cerevisiae carrying LAT1 or LAT2 are only slightly greater than those of control strains. S. cerevisiae carrying the LAT1 or LAT2 gene fused in frame to the genes for green fluorescent protein (GFP) or red fluorescent protein (mCherry) or adenylate kinase (AK) exhibited large (>3-fold for LAT1; >20-fold for LAT2) increases in transport activities. Lat1-mCherry transported l-arabinose with high affinity (K_m ≈ 0.03 mM) and l-arabitol and ribitol with very low affinity (K_m ≥ 75 mM). The Lat2-GFP, Lat2-mCherry, and Lat2-AK fusion proteins could not transport l-arabinose but were high-affinity pentitol transporters (K_ms ≈ 0.2 mM). The l-arabinose and pentitol transport activities of A. monospora could not be completely explained by any combination of the observed properties of tagged Lat1 and Lat2, suggesting either that tagging and expression in a foreign membrane alters the transport kinetics of Lat1 and/or Lat2 or that A. monospora contains at least one more l-arabinose transporter.     

Dual Role of Methionine in the Biosynthesis of Diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Biosynthesis of the polar group of diacylglyceryl-O-4′-(N,N,N-trimethyl)homoserine (DGTS) was studied in intact cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard. Among the three C₄ amino acids tested, only l-methionine could specifically inhibit the photosynthetic incorporation of [¹⁴C]NaHCO₃ into the polar group of DGTS. The radioactivity in l-[¹⁴C]methionine, which was labeled at either the C3 + C4, the C1, or the methyl carbon, was efficiently incorporated into the polar group of DGTS. These results suggest that the C₄ backbone and the S-methyl group of l-methionine are precursors to the C₄ backbone and the N-methyl groups of DGTS, respectively.     

Emission of Hydrogen Sulfide by Leaf Tissue in Response to l-Cysteine

Leaf discs and detached leaves exposed to l-cysteine emitted a volatile sulfur compound which was proven by gas chromatography to be H₂S. This phenomenon was demonstrated in all nine species tested (Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita pepo, Nicotiana tabacum, Coleus blumei, Beta vulgaris, Phaseolus vulgaris, Medicago sativa, Hordeum vulgare, and Gossypium hirsutum). The emission of volatile sulfur by cucumber leaves occurred in the dark at a similar rate to that in the light. The emission of leaf discs reached the maximal rate, more than 40 picomoles per minute per square centimeter, 2 to 4 hours after starting exposure to l-cysteine; then it decreased. In the case of detached leaves, the maximum occurred 5 to 10 h after starting exposure. The average emission rate of H₂S during the first 4 hours from leaf discs of cucurbits in response to 10 millimolar l-cysteine, was usually more than 40 picomoles per minute per square centimeter, i.e. 0.24 micromoles per hour per square decimeter. Leaf discs exposed to 1 millimolar l-cysteine emitted only 2% as much as did the discs exposed to 10 millimolar l-cysteine. The emission from leaf discs and from detached leaves lasted for at least 5 and 15 hours, respectively. However, several hours after the maximal emission, injury of the leaves, manifested as chlorosis, was evident. H₂S emission was a specific consequence of exposure to l-cysteine; neither d-cysteine nor l-cystine elicited H₂S emission. Aminooxyacetic acid, an inhibitor of pyridoxal phosphate dependent enzymes, inhibited the emission. In a cell free system from cucumber leaves, H₂S formation and its release occurred in response to l-cysteine. Feeding experiments with [³⁵S]l-cysteine showed that most of the sulfur in H₂S was derived from sulfur in the l-cysteine supplied and that the H₂S emitted for 9 hours accounted for 7 to 10% of l-cysteine taken up. ³⁵S-labeled SO₃²⁻ and SO₄²⁻ were found in the tissue extract in addition to internal soluble S²⁻. These findings suggest the existence of a sulfur cycle which converts l-cysteine to SO₄²⁻ through cysteine desulfhydration.     

Preparation and storage of high-titer lactic streptococcus bacteriophages

Various techniques were employed for preparation of high-titer bacteriophage lysates of Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris, and S. diacetilactis strains. Infection of a 4-h host culture in litmus milk at 30 C yielded the highest titers (2 × 10⁹ to 4 × 10¹¹ plaque-forming units/ml) for most phages. Host infection in lactose-containing broth produced similar virus numbers only when 0.1 M tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer stabilized the pH. The pH at the time of infection as well as the inoculum phage titer were critical in obtaining high titers. Optimum conditions for infection in broth were coupled with a polyethylene glycol concentration procedure to routinely produce milligram quantities of phage from 1 liter of lysate. Neutralization of whey lysates, as a means of storage, offered no survival advantage over unneutralized samples. Storage of phage lysates in a 15% glycerol whey solution at -22 C yielded a high rate of survival in most cases, even with repeated freezing and thawing, over a period of 24 months.     

Identification and Characterization of d-Hydroxyproline Dehydrogenase and Δ1-Pyrroline-4-hydroxy-2-carboxylate Deaminase Involved in Novel l-Hydroxyproline Metabolism of Bacteria: METABOLIC CONVERGENT EVOLUTION*

l-Hydroxyproline (4-hydroxyproline) mainly exists in collagen, and most bacteria cannot metabolize this hydroxyamino acid. Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa convert l-hydroxyproline to α-ketoglutarate via four hypothetical enzymatic steps different from known mammalian pathways, but the molecular background is rather unclear. Here, we identified and characterized for the first time two novel enzymes, d-hydroxyproline dehydrogenase and Δ¹-pyrroline-4-hydroxy-2-carboxylate (Pyr4H2C) deaminase, involved in this hypothetical pathway. These genes were clustered together with genes encoding other catalytic enzymes on the bacterial genomes. d-Hydroxyproline dehydrogenases from P. putida and P. aeruginosa were completely different from known bacterial proline dehydrogenases and showed similar high specificity for substrate (d-hydroxyproline) and some artificial electron acceptor(s). On the other hand, the former is a homomeric enzyme only containing FAD as a prosthetic group, whereas the latter is a novel heterododecameric structure consisting of three different subunits (α₄β₄γ₄), and two FADs, FMN, and [2Fe-2S] iron-sulfur cluster were contained in αβγ of the heterotrimeric unit. These results suggested that the l-hydroxyproline pathway clearly evolved convergently in P. putida and P. aeruginosa. Pyr4H2C deaminase is a unique member of the dihydrodipicolinate synthase/N-acetylneuraminate lyase protein family, and its activity was competitively inhibited by pyruvate, a common substrate for other dihydrodipicolinate synthase/N-acetylneuraminate lyase proteins. Furthermore, disruption of Pyr4H2C deaminase genes led to loss of growth on l-hydroxyproline (as well as d-hydroxyproline) but not l- and d-proline, indicating that this pathway is related only to l-hydroxyproline degradation, which is not linked to proline metabolism.     

High Sensitivity to Auxin is a Common Feature of Hairy Root

The responses to auxin of Lycopersicon esculentum roots transformed by (T_l+T_r)-DNA of the Ri plasmid of agropine-type Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain 15834 and Catharanthus trichophyllus roots transformed by the (T_l+T_r)-DNA, and by T_l- or T_r- DNA alone of the same bacterial strain were compared to that of their normal counterparts. The transmembrane electrical potential difference of root protoplasts was measured as a function of the concentration of exogenous naphthalene acetic acid. The sensitivity to auxin expressed by this response was shown to be independent of the measurement conditions and of the basal polarization of isolated protoplasts. According to this electrical response, as well as to the modulation by auxin of proton excretion by root tips and root tip elongation, roots transformed by (T_l+T_r) DNA are 100 to 1000 times more sensitive to exogenous auxin than normal roots, as is the case with normal and transformed roots from Lotus corniculatus (WH Shen, A Petit, J Guern, J Tempé [1988] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85: 3417-3421). Further-more, transformed roots of C. trichophyllus are not modified in their sensitivity to fusicoccin, illustrating the specificity of the modification of the auxin sensitivity. Roots transformed by the T_r-DNA alone showed the same sensitivity to auxin as normal roots, whereas the roots transformed by the T_l-DNA alone exhibited an auxin sensitivity as high as the roots transformed by (T_l+T_r)-DNA. It was concluded that the high sensitivity to auxin is controlled by the T_l-DNA in agropine type Ri plasmids.     

Injury and Death of Streptococcus lactis due to Freezing and Frozen Storage

Cells of Streptococcus lactis were harvested in the early stationary phase, washed, and resuspended in either skim milk (10% nonfat milk) or buffered distilled water (0.0003 m dipotassium phosphate, pH 7.2). Samples of each suspension were frozen and stored at -20 C for intervals up to 28 days. Colony counts of the frozen culture were made using lactic agar and a “restricted” lactic agar medium (Tryptone reduced to 0.5%) to determine injury and death. Death was determined by the difference in plate counts on lactic agar before and after freezing. Injured cells were determined by the difference in plate counts on the two plating media. Greatest injury of the cells occurred during early stages of frozen storage and decreased with time, and death continuously increased. Injury and death were more pronounced when cells were frozen in water than when frozen in 10% nonfat milk solids. Certain cultures survived better when frozen rapidly, whereas with others survival was greater when freezing was slow. Successive freezing, thawing, and propagation of the culture gradually eliminated cells which showed injury by freezing.     

The cytosolic pathway of l-malic acid synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: the role of fumarase

Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulates l-malic acid but only minute amounts of fumaric acid. A ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance study following the label from glucose to l-malic acid indicates that the l-malic acid is synthesized from pyruvic acid via oxaloacetic acid. From this, and from previously published studies, we conclude that a cytosolic reductive pathway leading from pyruvic acid via oxaloacetic acid to l-malic acid is responsible for the l-malic acid production in yeast. The non-production of fumaric acid can be explained by the conclusion that, in the cell, cytosolic fumarase catalyzes the conversion of fumaric acid to l-malic acid but not the reverse. This conclusion is based on the following findings. (a) The cytosolic enzyme exhibits a 17-fold higher affinity towards fumaric acid than towards l-malic acid; the K _m for l-malic acid is very high indicating that l-malic acid is not an in vivo substrate of the enzyme. (b) Overexpression of cytosolic fumarase does not cause accumulation of fumaric acid (but rather more l-malic acid). (c) According to ¹³C NMR studies there is no interconversion of cytosolic l-malic and fumaric acids.     

Formation of Elemental Sulfur by Chlorella fusca during Growth on l-Cysteine Ethylester

During growth on l-cysteine ethylester, Chlorella fusca (211-8b) accumulated a substance which contained bound sulfide, which could be liberated by reduction with dithioerythritol (DTE) as inorganic sulfide. This substance was extracted with hot methanol and purified by thin layer chromatography. This substance liberated free sulfide when incubated with mono- and dithiols, and thiocyanate was formed after heating with KCN. The isolated substance cochromatographed with authentic sulfur flower using different solvent systems for thin layer chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, and the identical spectrum with a relative λ_max at 263 nm was found. The chemical structure was confirmed by mass spectrometry showing a molecular weight of 256 m/e for the S₈ configuration. No labeled elemental sulfur was detected when the cells were grown on [³⁵S]sulfate and l-cysteine ethylester indicating the origin of elemental sulfur from l-cysteine ethylester. C. fusca seems to have enzymes for the metabolism of elemental sulfur, since it disappeared after prolonged growth into the stationary phase. Cysteine was formed from O-acetyl-l-serine and elemental sulfur in the presence of thiol groups and purified cysteine synthase from spinach or Chlorella.     

Plasmodium falciparum and P. knowlesi: low temperature preservation using dimethylsulfoxide

Erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium knowlesi and P. falciparum have been successfully recovered from the frozen state (i.e., ?196 C) using dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO: 7.5% final concentration, v/v) as the cryoprotective agent. Quantitated preparations of P. knowlesi, stored for 202 days, yielded patent and synchronous infections as early as 72 hr postinoculation. Similar results were obtained with blood samples with P. falciparum.     

Effects of pH and Lactate on Hydrogen Sulfide Production by Oral Veillonella spp.

Indigenous oral bacteria in the tongue coating such as Veillonella have been identified as the main producers of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), one of the major components of oral malodor. However, there is little information on the physiological properties of H₂S production by oral Veillonella such as metabolic activity and oral environmental factors which may affect H₂S production. Thus, in the present study, the H₂S-producing activity of growing cells, resting cells, and cell extracts of oral Veillonella species and the effects of oral environmental factors, including pH and lactate, were investigated. Type strains of Veillonella atypica, Veillonella dispar, and Veillonella parvula were used. These Veillonella species produced H₂S during growth in the presence of l-cysteine. Resting cells of these bacteria produced H₂S from l-cysteine, and the cell extracts showed enzymatic activity to convert l-cysteine to H₂S. H₂S production by resting cells was higher at pH 6 to 7 and lower at pH 5. The presence of lactate markedly increased H₂S production by resting cells (4.5- to 23.7-fold), while lactate had no effect on enzymatic activity in cell extracts. In addition to H₂S, ammonia was produced in cell extracts of all the strains, indicating that H₂S was produced by the catalysis of cystathionine γ-lyase (EC 4.4.1.1). Serine was also produced in cell extracts of V. atypica and V. parvula, suggesting the involvement of cystathionine β-synthase lyase (EC 4.2.1.22) in these strains. This study indicates that Veillonella produce H₂S from l-cysteine and that their H₂S production can be regulated by oral environmental factors, namely, pH and lactate.     

A Simple and Widely Applicable Method for Preparing Homogeneous and Stable Quality Control Samples in Water Microbiology

Test strains suspended in skim milk, quickly frozen in dry ice-ethanol, and stored at - 70°C can be used as quality control samples that are immediately available by quickly thawing at 37°C. The samples remain homogeneous and stable for at least 1 year, except for Aeromonas hydrophila, which decreases 20 to 30% in 1 year.     

l-Glutamate-Dependent Medium Alkalinization by Asparagus Mesophyll Cells : Cotransport or Metabolism?

Mechanically isolated Asparagus sprengeri Regel mesophyll cells cause alkalinization of the suspension medium on the addition of l-glutamate or its analog l-methionine-d,l-sulfoximine. Using a radiolabeled pH probe, it was found that both compounds caused internal acidification whereas l-aspartate did not. Fusicoccin stimulated H⁺ efflux from the cells by 111% and the uptake of l-[U-¹⁴C]glutamate by 55%. Manometric experiments demonstrated that, unlike l-methionine-d,l-sulfoximine, l-glutamate stimulated CO₂ evolution from nonilluminated cells. Simultaneous measurements of medium alkalinization and ¹⁴CO₂ evolution upon the addition of labeled l-glutamate showed that alkalinization was immediate and reached a maximum value after 45 minutes whereas ¹⁴CO₂ evolution exhibited a lag before its appearance and continued in a linear manner for at least 100 minutes. Rates of alkalinization and uptake of l-[U-¹⁴C]glutamate were higher in the light while rates of ¹⁴CO₂ evolution were higher in the dark. The major labeled product of glutamate decarboxylation, γ-aminobutyric acid, was found in the cells and the suspension medium. Its addition to the cell suspension did not result in medium alkalinization and evidence indicates that it is lost from the cell to the medium. The data suggest that the origin of medium alkalinization is co-transport not metabolism, and that the loss of labeled CO₂ and γ-aminobutyric acid from the cell result in an overestimation of the stoichiometry of the H⁺/l-glutamate uptake process.     

Functional Analysis of Two l-Arabinose Transporters from Filamentous Fungi Reveals Promising Characteristics for Improved Pentose Utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Limited uptake is one of the bottlenecks for l-arabinose fermentation from lignocellulosic hydrolysates in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This study characterized two novel l-arabinose transporters, LAT-1 from Neurospora crassa and MtLAT-1 from Myceliophthora thermophila. Although the two proteins share high identity (about 83%), they display different substrate specificities. Sugar transport assays using the S. cerevisiae strain EBY.VW4000 indicated that LAT-1 accepts a broad substrate spectrum. In contrast, MtLAT-1 appeared much more specific for l-arabinose. Determination of the kinetic properties of both transporters revealed that the K_m values of LAT-1 and MtLAT-1 for l-arabinose were 58.12 ± 4.06 mM and 29.39 ± 3.60 mM, respectively, with corresponding V_max values of 116.7 ± 3.0 mmol/h/g dry cell weight (DCW) and 10.29 ± 0.35 mmol/h/g DCW, respectively. In addition, both transporters were found to use a proton-coupled symport mechanism and showed only partial inhibition by d-glucose during l-arabinose uptake. Moreover, LAT-1 and MtLAT-1 were expressed in the S. cerevisiae strain BSW2AP containing an l-arabinose metabolic pathway. Both recombinant strains exhibited much faster l-arabinose utilization, greater biomass accumulation, and higher ethanol production than the control strain. In conclusion, because of higher maximum velocities and reduced inhibition by d-glucose, the genes for the two characterized transporters are promising targets for improved l-arabinose utilization and fermentation in S. cerevisiae.