Glucose metabolism and cell size in continuous cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A detailed analysis of the cell size, monitored as protein content, has been performed in glucose-limited continuous cultures, so as to obtain the values of the average protein content for various subpopulations at different cell cycle stages, as a function of the growth rate. Glucose metabolism appears to affect cell size, since there is an increase of the average protein content of the population when cells produce ethanol above the critical dilution rate. If the production of ethanol is forced at low growth rates by the addition of formate, the average protein content increases. These results indicate a link between glucose metabolism and cell size in budding yeast, as observed for mammalian cells.     

Effects of a hexokinase II deletion on the dynamics of glycolysis in continuous cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In glucose-limited aerobic chemostat cultures of a wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a derived hxk2 null strain, metabolic fluxes were identical. However, the concentrations of intracellular metabolites, especially fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and hexose-phosphorylating activities differed. Interestingly, the hxk2 null strain showed a higher maximal growth rate and higher Crabtree threshold dilution rate, revealing a higher oxidative capacity for this strain. After a pulse of glucose, aerobic glucose-limited cultures of wild-type S. cerevisiae displayed an overshoot in the intracellular concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate before a new steady state was established, in contrast to the hxk2 null strain which reached a new steady state without overshoot of these metabolites. At low dilution rates the overshoot of intracellular metabolites in the wild-type strain coincided with the immediate production of ethanol after the glucose pulse. In contrast, in the hxk2 null strain the production of ethanol started gradually. However, in spite of the initial differences in ethanol production and dynamic behaviour of the intracellular metabolites, the steady-state fluxes after transition from glucose limitation to glucose excess were not significantly different in the wild-type strain and the hxk2 null strain at any dilution rate.     

酒精酵母在连续发酵中的振荡行为研究

初步分析酒精酵母在连续发酵中的振荡行为的产生条件及产生机理。通过改变稀释率、pH值、溶氧和进料葡萄糖浓度等条件 ,观察不同操作条件对酒精酵母菌生长和代谢行为的影响。在 10～ 15 g/L的较低葡萄糖浓度 ,0 .10～ 0 .2 0h-1的较低稀释率 ,以及 70 %左右的适度的溶氧浓度等发酵条件下 ,酒精酵母会出现同步的代谢振荡现象。一定条件下 ,菌体浓度处于振荡状态 ,残余葡萄糖浓度不可测或在很低水平振荡 ,这些发现预示着控制机制的新发展。     

Characterization of gamma-glutamylamidase-glutaminase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In a foregoing paper we have shown the presence in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of an enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of L-gamma-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide, but apparently distinct from gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase. The cellular level of this enzyme was not regulated by the nature of the nitrogen source supplied to the yeast cell. Purification was attempted, using ion exchange chromatography on DEAE Sephadex A 50, salt precipitations and successive chromatographies on DEAE Sephadex 6B and Sephadex G 100. The apparent molecular weight of the purified enzyme was 14,800 as determined by gel filtration. As shown by kinetic studies and thin layer chromatography, the enzyme preparation exhibited only hydrolytic activity against gamma-glutamylarylamide and L-glutamine with an optimal pH of about seven. Various gamma-glutamylaminoacids, amides, dipeptides and glutathione were inactive as substrates and no transferase activity was detected. The yeast gamma-glutamylarylamidase was activated by SH protective agents, dithiothreitol and reduced glutathione. Oxidized glutathione, ophtalmic acid and various gamma-glutamylaminoacids inhibited competitively the enzyme. The activity was also inhibited by L-gamma-glutamyl-o-(carboxy)phenylhydrazide and the couple serine-borate, both transition-state analogs of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase. Diazooxonorleucine, reactive analog of glutamine, inactivated the enzyme. The physiological role of yeast gamma-glutamylarylamidase-glutaminase is still undefined but is most probably unrelated to the bulk assimilation of glutamine by yeast cells.     

酿酒酵母高级醇代谢研究进展

高级醇是酿酒酵母在饮料酒酿造过程中产生的主要代谢副产物之一.饮料酒中高级醇含量过高,易导致饮用后产生头痛、口渴等症状,是醉酒较慢、醉酒后较难醒酒的主要原因.文中系统综述了饮料酒中主要高级醇的风味特征、代谢途径及诱变育种技术在酿酒酵母高级醇代谢调控中的应用,特别阐述了代谢工程技术在氨基转移酶编码基因、α-酮酸代谢基因、乙...     

Glycogen hyperaccumulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ras2 mutant. A biochemical study.

The mechanism by which yeast ras2 mutant hyperaccumulates glycogen has been investigated. Total glycogen synthase activity was between and 1.3 times higher in the ras2 mutant than in an isogenic strain. In addition, while in the normal strain the glycogen synthase activation state decreased along the exponential phase, in the mutant strain the opposite behaviour was observed: glycogen synthase activation state rose continuously reaching full activation at the beginning of the stationary phase. Glycogen phosphorylase a activity was up to 40 times higher in the mutant than in the normal strain. Glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels were slightly more elevated in the mutants. The increase in total glycogen synthase and, particularly, the full activation of this enzyme may explain glycogen hyperaccumulation in the ras2 mutant even in the presence of elevated levels of glycogen phosphorylase a.     

The glutamate synthase (GOGAT) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae plays an important role in central nitrogen metabolism

Central nitrogen metabolism contains two pathways for glutamate biosynthesis, glutaminases and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), using glutamine as the sole nitrogen source. GOGAT's importance for cellular metabolism is still unclear. For a further physiological characterisation of the GOGAT function in central nitrogen metabolism, a GOGAT-negative (Deltaglt1) mutant strain (VWk274 LEU(+)) was studied in glutamine-limited continuous cultures. As reference, we did the same experiments with a wild-type strain (VWk43). Intracellular and extracellular metabolites were analysed during different steady states in both strains. The redox state of the cell was taken into account and the NAD(H) and NADP(H) concentrations were determined as well as the reduced and oxidised forms of glutathione (GSH and GSSG, respectively). The results of this study confirm an earlier suggestion, based on a metabolic network model, that GOGAT may be a link between the carbon catabolic reactions (energy production) and nitrogen anabolic reactions (biomass production) by working as a shuttle between cytosol and mitochondria.     

Detection of inactive precursors of beta-glucanases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Accumulation and secretion of beta-glucanases have been studied in vivo by using a thermosensitive secretory mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae blocked at the endoplasmic reticulum level (sec 18-1). When incubated at the restrictive temperature no accumulation of active glucanases was observed. Following a shift to permissive conditions in the presence of cycloheximide a rise in the internal activity took place. The increase in total glucanase activity was partially due to the activation of an exo-glucanase that hydrolyzes PNPG. It is concluded that glucanases are synthesized in inactive precursor forms and are converted to the active forms in their secretory pathway.     

Irreversible formation of pseudohyphae by haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract Culturing haploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in liquid minimal medium with 2% ethanol and 2% leucine resulted in the formation of long anucleate pseudohyphae. This occurred only with the combination of ethanol as carbon source and leucine as nitrogen source and was independent of mating type. The transition to a pseudohyphal form observed under these conditions appears to be irreversible. These findings further extend our view of the developmental alternatives in this important model eukaryote.     

Genome-scale analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism and ethanol production in fed-batch culture

A dynamic flux balance model based on a genome-scale metabolic network reconstruction is developed for in silico analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism and ethanol production in fed-batch culture. Metabolic engineering strategies previously identified for their enhanced steady-state biomass and/or ethanol yields are evaluated for fed-batch performance in glucose and glucose/xylose media. Dynamic analysis is shown to provide a single quantitative measure of fed-batch ethanol productivity that explicitly handles the possible tradeoff between the biomass and ethanol yields. Productivity optimization conducted to rank achievable fed-batch performance demonstrates that the genetic manipulation strategy and the fed-batch operating policy should be considered simultaneously. A library of candidate gene insertions is assembled and directly screened for their achievable ethanol productivity in fed-batch culture. A number of novel gene insertions with ethanol productivities identical to the best metabolic engineering strategies reported in previous studies are identified, thereby providing additional targets for experimental evaluation. The top performing gene insertions were substrate dependent, with the highest ranked insertions for glucose media yielding suboptimal performance in glucose/xylose media. The analysis results suggest that enhancements in biomass yield are most beneficial for the enhancement of fed-batch ethanol productivity by recombinant xylose utilizing yeast strains. We conclude that steady-state flux balance analysis is not sufficient to predict fed-batch performance and that the media, genetic manipulations, and fed-batch operating policy should be considered simultaneously to achieve optimal metabolite productivity.     

Kinetic analysis of a trehalase-overexpressing strain grown on trehalose: a new tool for respiro-fermentative transition studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AIMS: The aim was to demonstrate the use of a trehalase-overexpressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain grown on trehalose as a valuable tool in the studies of respiro-fermentative transition at a reduced scale. METHODS AND RESULTS: A trehalase-overexpressing strain was cultivated in synthetic medium on trehalose under aerobic conditions. This strain grew at a maximum specific growth rate of 0.16 h(-1) and showed a pure oxidative metabolism. Glucose pulse experiments were carried out in this system in order to quantify the short-term Crabtree effect. These data were then compared with glucose pulse experiments carried out in the conventional way with the wild-type strain in glucose-limited chemostats. Glucose-pulse experiments in aerobic batch cultures grown on trehalose led to a metabolic respiro-fermentative transition similar to the one observed in glucose-limited chemostats. CONCLUSIONS: This cultivation system allowed us to quantitatively mimic at the flask scale the Crabtree effect observed in conventional chemostat studies. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study is of primary interest in S. cerevisiae studies in which: (i) the implementation of oxidative growth is required (as with studies of the Crabtree effect and heterologous protein production); (ii) small-scale culture systems are required (e.g. high-throughput mutant screening and isotopic labelling experiments).     

酿酒酵母产油脂条件的优化

微生物细胞通常仅含2%3%油脂,但少数微生物含油脂率却可达70%以上,所以高含油脂量使微生物油脂实际开发成为可能。目前用于生产多不饱和脂肪酸的微生物主要为藻类和真菌。尽管微生物油脂是当前的研究热点,已经引起广大研究者的重视,但目前国内外研究大都集中在含油脂量在干重20%以上的微生物,如浅白色隐性酵母、粘红酵母等,而对于酿酒酵母来说,则很少见到研究其产油脂的相关报道。     

酿酒酵母合成异源单萜类化合物的研究进展

单萜类化合物在食品、医药和工业等领域有重要的应用,具有可观的经济价值.随着合成生物学的日益发展,利用微生物作为细胞工厂合成单萜类化合物成为时下的研究热点.酿酒酵母是真核生物表达的模式菌株,其甲羟戊酸途径为单萜类化合物的合成提供直接前体,因此在酿酒酵母中构建异源单萜类化合物合成途径有较大优势.本文介绍了酿酒酵母细胞中异源单萜类化合物合成途径的构建.从甲羟戊酸途径代谢通量调控机制和融合酶调控酶催化反应效率两方面概述了酿酒酵母异源合成单萜类化合物的研究进展.     

SSU1多拷贝表达对酿酒酵母二氧化硫生成量的影响

【目的】在不影响酵母正常代谢前提下,构建亚硫酸盐分泌量提高的基因工程菌株,增加二氧化硫生成量,有效地解决啤酒老化问题。【方法】以适量高产二氧化硫工业啤酒酵母突变株M8总DNA为模板,PCR方法得到带有不同长度5′端非编码区的基因片段SSU1-1、SSU1-2,以大肠杆菌-酿酒酵母穿梭质粒YEp352构建表达载体pSU1和pSU2,转化实验室酵母YS58,验证SSU1多克隆表达对其二氧化硫生成量的影响。进而将pSU2转化工业啤酒酵母M8,利用亚硫酸盐抗性筛选转化子,并对其二氧化硫和硫化氢生成量及其啤酒抗老化性能进行测定和分析。【结果】实验室酵母转化子pSU1-4和pSU2-3二氧化硫生成量较原株明显提高而硫化氢生成量基本不变,工业啤酒酵母转化子Y2二氧化硫生成量比原株M8提高74.4%,TBA值下降14.9%,DPPH自由基清除率提高38.2%,硫化氢生成量基本不变。【结论】SSU1基因的多拷贝表达有效提高了亚硫酸盐转运蛋白Ssu1p表达量,增加了亚硫酸盐分泌量,啤酒抗氧化能力得到明显增强,而对酵母硫代谢途径中亚硫酸盐还原为硫化物代谢过程没有影响。     

Functional expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of the Lactococcus lactis mleS gene encoding the malolactic enzyme

Abstract Malolactic fermentation, a crucial step in winemaking, results mostly in degradation by lactic acid bacteria of L-malic acid into L-lactic acid. This direct decarboxylation is catalysed by the malolactic enzyme. Recently we, and others, have cloned the mleS gene of Lactococcus lactis encoding malolactic enzyme. Heterologous expression of mleS in Saccha-romyces cerevisiae was tested to perform simultaneously alcoholic and malolactic fermentations by yeast. mleS gene was cloned in a yeast multicopy vector under a strong promoter. Malolactic activity was present in crude extracts of recombinant yeasts. Malic acid degradation was tested during alcoholic fermentation in synthetic media and must. Yeasts expressing the mleS gene actually produced L-lactate from L-malate; nevertheless malate degradation was far from complete.     

Free intracellular amino acid pools during autonomous oscillations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the present work dynamic changes of free intracellular amino acid pools during autonomous oscillations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were quantified in glucose-limited continuous cultivations. At a dilution rate of D = 0.22 h(-1) cyclic changes with a period of 120 min were found for many variables such as carbon dioxide production rate, dissolved oxygen, pH, biomass content, and various metabolite concentrations. On the basis of the observed dynamic patterns, free intracellular amino acids were classified to show oscillatory, stationary, or chaotic behavior. Amino acid pools such as serine, alanine, valine, leucine, or lysine were subjected to clear oscillations with a frequency of 120 min, identical to that of other described cultivation variables, indicating that there is a direct correlation between the periodic changes of amino acid concentrations and the metabolic oscillations on the cellular level. The oscillations of these amino acids were unequally phase-delayed and had different amplitudes of oscillation. Accordingly, they exhibited different patterns in phase plane plots vs. intracellular trehalose. Despite the complex and marked metabolic changes during oscillation, selected intracellular amino acids such as histidine, threonine, isoleucine, or arginine remained about constant. Concentrations of glutamate and glutamine showed a chaotic behavior. However, the ratio of glutamate to glutamine concentration was found to be oscillatory, with a period of 60 min and a corresponding figure eight-shaped pattern in a plot vs. trehalose concentration. Considering the described diversity, it can be concluded that the observed periodic changes are neither just the consequence of low or high rates of protein biosynthesis/degradation nor correlated to changing cell volumes during oscillation. The ratio between doubling time (189 min) and period of oscillation of intracellular amino acids (120 min) was 1:6. The fact that there is a close relationship between doubling time and period of oscillation underlines that the described autonomous oscillations are cell-cycle-associated.