Mycocin sensitivity patterns of Kluyveromyces species: Kluyveromyces sensu lato vs. Kluyveromyces sensu stricto

The Kluyveromyces species reassigned to the genera Lachancea and Vanderwaltozyma are insensitive to five mycocins secreted by Pichia membranifaciens. The remaining Kluyveromyces species including species transferred to the genera Kazachstania, Nakaseomyces, and Tetrapisispora are sensitive to them. Only the neotype strain is insensitive to mycocins among Kluyveromyces lactis cultures.     

克鲁维酵母种间原生质体融合的研究

乳酸克鲁维酵母(Kluyueromyces lactis Y12—1)和脆壁克鲁维酵母(K.fragilis8554)是乳糖酶生产菌株。应用原生质体融合技术进行了两菌株种问融合的研究。通过试验．原生质体形成及再生的最佳条件为：对数期的细胞,2％的蜗牛酶．30℃酶解30分钟．原生质体形成率90％以上,再生率20%左右。原生质体融合由聚乙二醇(PEG)诱导。K.lactisY12-l不能旋酵菊糖;K.fragilis 8554不能同化D－松三糖和麦芽糖;利用二菌株自身的营养缺陷性质获得融合子。融合子既能发酵菊糖又能同化D－松三糖和麦芽糖;融合子的DNA含量约为二亲株之和;融合子的菌落形态与亲株相比有一定差别．在以乳糖为碳源的培养基中,融合子的乳糖酶产量提高14一l6％;连续15次传代,融合子稳定。     

Transformation of Kluyveromyces fragilis

For the transformation of the yeast species Kluyveromyces fragilis, we have constructed a vector containing a bacterial kanamycin resistance (Kmr) gene, the TRP1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and an autonomously replicating sequence of Kluyveromyces lactis called KARS2 . By utilizing the method based on treatment by alkali cations and with the Kmr gene as the selective marker, a wild-type strain of K. fragilis was transformed to resistance against the antibiotic G418 . In the transformed cell the plasmid replicates autonomously. The same plasmid could also be used to transform S. cerevisiae trp1 mutant to Trp+. Thus, KARS2 of K. lactis enables the vector to replicate in K. fragilis, K. lactis, and S. cerevisiae, whereas ARS1 of S. cerevisiae allows autonomous replication only in S. cerevisiae.     

Effect of amphotericin B on the sterol composition of Kluyveromyces bulgaricus and Kluyveromyces lactis

The degree of sensitivity of the yeasts Kluyveromyces bulgaricus and K. lactis to amphotericin B is linked to a difference in the sterol composition of their membranes. No direct proportionality was found between sensitivity and the quantity of sterols present. At sublethal doses, amphotericin B perturbed sterol synthesis, resulting in ergosterol precursor accumulation. An ergosterol pathway is proposed for Kluyveromyces.     

Protoplast transformation of Kluyveromyces marxianus

The dairy yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is a promising cell factory for producing bioethanol and heterologous proteins, as well as a robust synthetic biology platform host, due to its safe status and beneficial traits, including fast growth and thermotolerance. However, the lack of high-efficiency transformation methods hampers the fundamental research and industrial application of this yeast. Protoplast transformation is one of the most commonly used fungal transformation methods, but it yet remains unexplored in K. marxianus. Here, we established the protoplast transformation method of K. marxianus for the first time. A series of parameters on the transformation efficiency were optimized: cells were collected in the late-log phase and treated with zymolyase for protoplasting; the transformation was performed at 0 °C with carrier DNA, CaCl₂, and PEG; after transformation, protoplasts were recovered in a solid regeneration medium containing 3–4% agar and 0.8 m sorbitol. By using the optimized method, plasmids of 10, 24, and 58 kb were successfully transformed into K. marxianus. The highest efficiency reached 1.8 × 10⁴ transformants per μg DNA, which is 18-fold higher than the lithium acetate method. This protoplast transformation method will promote the genetic engineering of K. marxianus that requires high-efficiency transformation or the introduction of large DNA fragments.     

Current status of Kluyveromyces systematics

A brief outline of the current taxonomic status of the genus Kluyveromyces is presented. Noteworthy are the transfer of several former Kluyveromyces species to other genera, the retention of the name Kluyveromyces for K. lactis, K. marxianus, and four related species, and some recent attempts to clarify the variety status of strains assigned to K. lactis.     

Kluyveromyces: systematics since 1970

The taxonomy ofKluyveromyces has been the object of intense study since van der Walt's (1970) monograph. This is an account of the major developments and the classification to be adopted in the 4th edition ofThe Yeasts, a Taxonomic Study. The guiding principles that will be followed in eventual revisions of the genus are presented.     

Transfer of DNA killer plasmids from Kluyveromyces lactis to Kluyveromyces fragilis and Candida pseudotropicalis.

Killer plasmids pGKL1 and pGKL2 of double-stranded linear DNAs were transferred from Kluyveromyces lactis to strains of Kluyveromyces fragilis and Candida pseudotropicalis. The resultant killer strains produced 17-fold and 6-fold larger amounts of killer toxin than K. lactis did, respectively. The killer toxin produced by each species appeared to be a glycoprotein.     

Lipid-Enhanced Ethanol Production by Kluyveromyces fragilis

The fermentation ability of a strain of Kluyveromyces fragilis, already selected for rapid lactose-fermenting capability, was improved dramatically by the addition of unsaturated fatty acids and ergosterol to the medium. The fermentation time of a 20% whey-lactose medium was decreased from over 90 h to less than 60 h. The lipids were shown to be taken up by the organism, and the effects on specific growth rate and biomass production were determined.     

Transformation of Kluyveromyces lactis by Electroporation

The physical and biological parameters involved in efficient transformation of Kluyveromyces lactis by electroporation have been analyzed. By using an optimum voltage and a constant volume of cell suspension in a cuvette, the efficiency of transformation increased with increases in cell numbers and plasmid concentration. However, the most important parameter was the time of the pulse. Changes of 1 ms decreased the efficiency of transformation more than 70 to 80%. Under our best conditions, between 10⁶ and 10⁷ transformants per μg of plasmid DNA could be obtained. Under certain conditions, the size of the plasmid also affected electroporation efficiency. In any case, we did not obtain integrative transformation with an autonomously replicating plasmid.     

Action spectrum of Kluyveromyces lactis mycocins

New mycocinogenic strains of the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis were found. They have fungicidic activity at pH from 5 to 7. This activity was eliminated by UV irradiation. Among over 260 species tested, ones sensitive to these mycocins were revealed mainly in the families Saccharomycetaceae and Wickerhamomycetaceae of the order Saccharomycetales.     

The cell wall-associated inulinase of Kluyveromyces fragilis

The yeast Kluyveromyces fragilis (ATCC 12424) was grown on a 2% inulin-1% yeast extract medium for 36 h and subsequently fixed with 0.5% glutaraldehyde. The glutaraldehyde treatment did not affect the -fructofuranosidase (inulinase, EC 3.2.1.7) activity of the cells but it did make the cells resistant to chemical and physical treatments that normally release -fructofuranosidase from untreated cells. The enzyme in the treated cells exhibited K_m values for sucrose and raffinose identical to those obtained for the free enzyme. The cell wall of the treated cells exhibited the same diffusion properties for sucrose, raffinose, and inulin as those observed for untreated cells. The -fructofuranosidase was not bound covalently to the cell by the glutaraldehyde treatment. The results support the permeability barrier model for the enzyme retention in the yeast cell wall.     

Characterization of lactose transport in Kluyveromyces lactis

We have determined that lactose uptake in Kluyveromyces lactis is mediated by an inducible transport system. Induction, elicited by lactose or galactose, of the transporter required protein synthesis. Transport of lactose required an energy-generating system and occurred by an active process, since an intracellular lactose concentration 175 times greater than the extracellular concentration could be obtained. The Km for lactose transport was about 2.8 mM in uninduced and lactose- or galactose-induced cells. The lactose transporters in K. lactis and Escherichia coli appear to be different since they respond uniquely to inhibition by substrate analogs.