Identification of yeast species by fatty acid profiling as measured by gas-liquid chromatography

A complete enzymatic capacity for biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22 : 6n-3) exists in the marine Harpacticoida copepod Tigriopus californicus

The long-standing paradigm establishing that global production of Omega-3 (n–3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) derived almost exclusively from marine single-cell organisms, was recently challenged by the discovery that multiple invertebrates possess methyl-end (or ωx) desaturases, critical enzymes enabling the biosynthesis of n–3 LC-PUFA. However, the question of whether animals with ωx desaturases have complete n–3 LC-PUFA biosynthetic pathways and hence can contribute to the production of these compounds in marine ecosystems remained unanswered. In the present study, we investigated the complete enzymatic complement involved in the n–3 LC-PUFA biosynthesis in Tigriopus californicus, an intertidal harpacticoid copepod. A total of two ωx desaturases, five front-end desaturases and six fatty acyl elongases were successfully isolated and functionally characterized. The T. californicus ωx desaturases enable the de novo biosynthesis of C₁₈ PUFA such as linoleic and α-linolenic acids, as well as several n–3 LC-PUFA from n–6 substrates. Functions demonstrated in front-end desaturases and fatty acyl elongases unveiled various routes through which T. californicus can biosynthesize the physiologically important arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids. Moreover, T. californicus possess a Δ4 desaturase, enabling the biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid via the ‘Δ4 pathway’. In conclusion, harpacticoid copepods such as T. californicus have complete n–3 LC-PUFA biosynthetic pathways and such capacity illustrates major roles of these invertebrates in the provision of essential fatty acids to upper trophic levels.

Analysis of the Yarrowia lipolytica proteome reveals subtle variations in expression levels between lipogenic and non-lipogenic conditions

Oleaginous yeasts have the ability to store greater than 20% of their mass as neutral lipids, in the form of triacylglycerides. The ATP citrate lyase is thought to play a key role in triacylglyceride synthesis, but the relationship between expression levels of this and other related enzymes is not well understood in the role of total lipid accumulation conferring the oleaginous phenotype. We conducted comparative proteomic analyses with the oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, grown in either nitrogen-sufficient rich media or nitrogen-limited minimal media. Total proteins extracted from cells collected during logarithmic and late stationary growth phases were analyzed by 1D liquid chromatography, followed by mass spectroscopy. The ATP citrate lyase enzyme was expressed at similar concentrations in both conditions, in both logarithmic and stationary phase, but many upstream and downstream enzymes showed drastically different expression levels. In non-lipogenic conditions, several pyruvate enzymes were expressed at higher concentration. These enzymes, especially the pyruvate decarboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase, may be regulating carbon flux away from central metabolism and reducing the amount of citrate being produced in the mitochondria. While crucial for the oleaginous phenotype, the constitutively expressed ATP citrate lyase appears to cleave citrate in response to carbon flux upstream from other enzymes creating the oleaginous phenotype.

Unique fatty acid desaturase capacities uncovered in Hediste diversicolor illustrate the roles of aquatic invertebrates in trophic upgrading

Omega-3 (ω3 or n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play physiologically important roles in vertebrates. These compounds have long been believed to have originated almost exclusively from aquatic (mostly marine) single-cell organisms. Yet, a recent study has discovered that many invertebrates possess a type of enzymes called methyl-end desaturases (ωx) that enables them to endogenously produce n-3 long-chain PUFA and could make a significant contribution to production of these compounds in the marine environment. Polychaetes are major components of benthic fauna and thus important to maintain a robust food web as a recycler of organic matter and a prey item for higher trophic level species like fish. In the present study, we investigated the ωx enzymes from the common ragworm, Hediste diversicolor, a common inhabitant in sedimentary littoral ecosystems of the North Atlantic. Functional assays of the H. diversicolor ωx demonstrated unique desaturation capacities. An ω3 desaturase mediated the conversion of n-6 fatty acid substrates into their corresponding n-3 products including DHA. A further enzyme possessed unique regioselectivities combining both ω6 and ω3 desaturase activities. These results illustrate that the long-chain PUFA biosynthetic enzymatic machinery of aquatic invertebrates such as polychaetes is highly diverse and clarify that invertebrates can be major contributors to fatty acid trophic upgrading in aquatic food webs. This article is part of the theme issue 'The next horizons for lipids as 'trophic biomarkers': evidence and significance of consumer modification of dietary fatty acids'.

Ketoacyl synthase domain is a major determinant for fatty acyl chain length in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yeast fatty acid synthase (Fas) comprises two subunits, α6 and β6, encoded by FAS2 and FAS1, respectively. To determine features of yeast Fas that control fatty acyl chain length, chimeric genes were constructed by combining FAS sequences from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScFAS) and Hansenula polymorpha (HpFAS), which mostly produces C16 and C18 fatty acids, respectively. The C16/C18 ratios decreased from 2.2 ± 0.1 in wild-type S. cerevisiae to 1.0 ± 0.1, 0.5 ± 0.2 and 0.8 ± 0.1 by replacement of ScFAS1, ScFAS2 and ScFAS1 ScFAS2 with HpFAS1, HpFAS2 and HpFAS1 HpFAS2, respectively, suggesting that the α, but not β subunits play a major role in determining fatty acyl chain length. Replacement of phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPT) domain with the equivalent region from HpFAS2 did not affect C16/C18 ratio. Chimeric Fas2 containing half N-terminal ScFas2 and half C-terminal HpFas2 carrying H. polymorpha ketoacyl synthase (KS) and PPT gave a remarkable decrease in C16/C18 ratio (0.6 ± 0.1), indicating that KS plays a major role in determining chain length.

Scheffersomyces stipitis: a comparative systems biology study with the Crabtree positive yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

Scheffersomyces stipitis is a Crabtree negative yeast, commonly known for its capacity to ferment pentose sugars. Differently from Crabtree positive yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the onset of fermentation in S. stipitis is not dependent on the sugar concentration, but is regulated by a decrease in oxygen levels. Even though S. stipitis has been extensively studied due to its potential application in pentoses fermentation, a limited amount of information is available about its metabolism during aerobic growth on glucose. Here, we provide a systems biology based comparison between the two yeasts, uncovering the metabolism of S. stipitis during aerobic growth on glucose under batch and chemostat cultivations.

RESULTS

Starting from the analysis of physiological data, we confirmed through 13C-based flux analysis the fully respiratory metabolism of S. stipitis when growing both under glucose limited or glucose excess conditions. The patterns observed showed similarity to the fully respiratory metabolism observed for S. cerevisiae under chemostat cultivations however, intracellular metabolome analysis uncovered the presence of several differences in metabolite patterns. To describe gene expression levels under the two conditions, we performed RNA sequencing and the results were used to quantify transcript abundances of genes from the central carbon metabolism and compared with those obtained with S. cerevisiae. Interestingly, genes involved in central pathways showed different patterns of expression, suggesting different regulatory networks between the two yeasts. Efforts were focused on identifying shared and unique families of transcription factors between the two yeasts through in silico transcription factors analysis, suggesting a different regulation of glycolytic and glucoenogenic pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

The work presented addresses the impact of high-throughput methods in describing and comparing the physiology of Crabtree positive and Crabtree negative yeasts. Based on physiological data and flux analysis we identified the presence of one metabolic condition for S. stipitis under aerobic batch and chemostat cultivations, which shows similarities to the oxidative metabolism observed for S. cerevisiae under chemostat cultivations. Through metabolome analysis and genome-wide transcriptomic analysis several differences were identified. Interestingly, in silico analysis of transciption factors was useful to address a different regulation of mRNAs of genes involved in the central carbon metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the metabolism of S. stiptis is investigated in details and is compared to S. cerevisiae. Our study provides useful results and allows for the possibility to incorporate these data into recently developed genome-scaled metabolic, thus contributing to improve future industrial applications of S. stipitis as cell factory.

Lipid profiling of the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae using Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs)

Phytophthora sojae is a destructive soilborne pathogen of soybean, but currently there is no rapid or commercially available testing for its infestation level in soil. For growers, such information would greatly improve their ability to make management decisions to minimize disease damage to soybean crops. Fatty acid profiling of P. sojae holds potential for determining the prevalence of this pathogen in soil. In this study, the Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) profile of P. sojae was determined in pure culture, and the profile was subsequently evaluated for its potential use in detecting the pathogen in soil. The predominant fatty acids in the FAME profile of P. sojae are the unsaturated 18C fatty acids (18:1ω9 and 18:2ω6) followed by the saturated and unsaturated 16C fatty acids (16:0 and 16:1ω7). FAME analysis of P. sojae zoospores showed two additional long-chain saturated fatty acids (20:0 and 22:0) that were not detected in the mycelium of this organism. Addition of a known number of zoospores of P. sojae to soil demonstrated that fatty acids such as 18:1ω9, 18:2ω6, 20:1ω9, 20:4ω6, and 22:1ω9 could be detected and quantified against the background levels of fatty acids present in soil. These results show the potential for using selected FAMEs of P. sojae as a marker for detecting this pathogen in soybean fields.

Fatty acid profile and influence of oxythiamine on fatty acid content in Malassezia pachydermatis, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Malassezia pachydermatis and Candida albicans are fungi involved in the skin diseases and systemic infections. The therapy of such infections is difficult due to relapses and problems with pathogen identification. In our study, we compare the fatty acids profile of M. pachydermatis, C. albicans and S. cerevisiae to identify diagnostic markers and to investigate the effect of oxythiamine (OT) on the lipid composition of these species. Total fatty acid content is threefold higher in C. albicans and M. pachydermatis compared with S. cerevisiae. These two species have also increased level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and decreased content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). We noted differences in the content of longer chain (>18) fatty acids between studied species (for example a lack of 20 : 1 in S. cerevisiae and 22 : 0 in M. pachydermatis and C. albicans). OT reduces total fatty acids content in M. pachydermatis by 50%. In S. cerevisiae, OT increased PUFA whereas it decreased MUFA content. In C. albicans, OT decreased PUFA and increased MUFA and SFA content. The results show that the MUFA to PUFA ratio and the fatty acid profile could be useful diagnostic tests to distinguish C. albicans, M. pachydermatis and S. cerevisiae, and OT affected the lipid metabolism of the investigated species, especially M. pachydermatis.

Characterization of Aspergillus species based on fatty acid profiles

Cellular fatty acid (FA) composition was utilized as a taxonomic tool to discriminate between different Aspergillus species. Several of the tested species had the same FA composition and different relative FA concentrations. The most important FAs were palmitic acid (C16:0), estearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1) and linoleic acid (C18:2), which represented 95% of Aspergillus FAs. Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that FA analysis is a useful tool for differentiating species belonging to genus Aspergillus. All the species analyzed showed significantly FA acid profiles (p < 0.001). Furthermore, it will be possible to distinguish among Aspergillus spp. in the Flavi Section. FA composition can serve as a useful tool for the identification of filamentous fungi.

Typing of Histoplasma capsulatum strains by fatty acid profile analysis

The performance of fatty acid profiling for strain differentiation of Histoplasma capsulatum was assessed. Total fatty acids were isolated from the yeast-phase cells of seven stock and two previously unreported clinical strains of H. capsulatum var. capsulatum, as well as from one unreported clinical strain and one stock strain of H. capsulatum var. duboisii, and one strain of each of three other dimorphic zoopathogenic fungal species, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Sporothrix schenckii. Different colony morphology and pigmentation types of the H. capsulatum strains were also included. The most frequently occurring fatty acids were oleic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic acids. There were variations in the relative percentage fatty acid contents of H. capsulatum strains that could be used for strain identification and discrimination. Differentiation between H. capsulatum strains was achieved by the comparison of detected fatty acids accompanied by principal component analysis using calculated Varimax-rotated principal component loadings. Statistical analysis yielded three major principal components that explained over 94 % of total variance in the data. All the strains of H. capsulatum var. capsulatum RFLP classes II and III were grouped into two distinct clusters: the heterogenic RFLP class I formed a large, but also well-defined group, whereas the outgroup strains of H. capsulatum var. duboisii, B. dermatitidis, P. brasiliensis and S. schenckii were shifted away. These data suggest that fatty acid profiling can be used in H. capsulatum strain classification and epidemiological studies that require strain differentiation at the intraspecies level.

Differentiation between Candida species isolated from diabetic foot by fatty acid methyl ester analysis using gas chromatography

Gas chromatography (GC) was used to differentiate 100 isolates of Candida species (Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida famata and Candida glabrata) from 22 of 509 diabetic patients in whom the same species had been isolated from ulcer and interdigital spaces of the same and/or the other foot. All clinical isolates were identified by quantitative differences in the composition of six cell fatty acids (CFA). The values of the coefficients of variability (CV) of CFA show that the isolates from foot ulcers and interdigital spaces of the same diabetic patient probably belong to different chemotypes of the same Candida species.

Enumeration and identification of yeasts associated with commercial poultry processing and spoilage of refrigerated broiler carcasses

Yeasts associated with broiler carcasses taken from various stages of commercial poultry processing operations and broiler carcasses stored at refrigerated temperatures were enumerated and identified. Whole carcass rinses were performed to recover yeasts from carcasses taken from a processing facility and processed carcasses stored at 4 degrees C for up to 14 days. Yeasts in the carcass rinsates were enumerated on acidified potato dextrose agar and identified with the MIDI Sherlock Microbial Identification System. Dendrograms of fatty acid profiles of yeast were prepared to determine the degree of relatedness of the yeast isolates. Findings indicated that as the carcasses are moved through the processing line, significant decreases in the number of yeasts associated with broiler carcasses usually occur, and the composition of the yeast flora of the carcasses is altered. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in the yeast population of the carcasses generally occur during storage at 4 degrees C, however. Furthermore, it was determined that the same strain of yeast may be recovered from different carcasses at different points in the processing line and that the same strain of yeast may be isolated from carcasses processed on different days in the same processing facility.