The effect of cerulenin on sterol biosynthesis inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Cerulenin specifically inhibited fatty acid biosynthesis inSaccharomyces cerevisiae without having an effect on sterol formation. Ergosterol was not required for cell growth in the presence of cerulenin (1 μg/ml). The addition of fatty acids to the growth medium reduced the amount of ergosterol formed by 45%; further addition of cerulenin to the media had no effect on the amount of ergosterol synthesized by the cells. The incorporation of³H from³H₂O into ergosterol was not affected by cerulenin whereas incorporration into fatty acids was inhibited by 90%.     

General resistance to sterol biosynthesis inhibitors inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Screening for resistance to fenpropimorph was undertaken in order to isolate yeast mutants affected in the regulation of the ergosterol pathway. Among the mutants isolated, one bearing the recessivefen1-1 mutation was characterized by a 1.5-fold increase in the ergosterol level and a general resistance to sterol biosynthesis inhibitors. Thefen1-1 mutation was linked toMAT locus on chromosome III. The measurement of enzyme activities involved in the ergosterol pathway revealed that isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) isomerase activity was specifically increased 1.5-fold as compared to the wild type strain. However, overexpression of IPP isomerase in the wild type strain was not by itself sufficient to lead to sterol increase or resistance to sterol biosynthesis inhibitors, showing that IPP isomerase is not a limiting step in the pathway. Thefen1-1 mutation permits viability in aerobiosis of yeast disrupted for sterol-14 reductase in absence of exogenous ergosterol supplementation, whereas the corresponding strain bearing the wild typeFEN1 allele grows only in anaerobiosis. This result shows that ignosterol is able to efficiently replace ergosterol as bulk membrane component and that thefen1-1 mutation eliminates the specific ergosterol requirement in yeast.     

19-Azasqualene-2,3-epoxide and its N-oxide: Metabolic fate and inhibitory effect on sterol biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

19-Azasqualene-2,3-epoxide was more inhibitory than the corresponding N-oxide against 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) solubilized from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (IC₅₀ 7±2 and 25±5 μM, respectively). Both compounds showed a reversible, noncompetitive-type inhibition on solubilized OSC. Different inhibitory properties between the compounds were especially evident when measuring [¹⁴C]acetate incorporation into nonsaponifiable lipids extracted from treated cells. In cells treated with 19-azasqualene-2,3-epoxide at 30 μM, the radioactivity associated with the oxidosqualene fraction, which was negligible in the controls, rose to over 40% of the nonsaponifiable lipids, whereas it remained at a slightly appreciable level in cells treated with the N-oxide derivative under the same conditions. 19-Azasqualene-2,3-epoxide was also more effective than the N-oxide as a cell growth inhibitor (minimal concentration of compound needed to inhibit yeast growth: 45 and >100 μM, respectively). The two inhibitors underwent different metabolic fates in the yeast: while 19-azasqualene-2,3-epoxide did not undergo any transformation, its N-oxide was actively reduced to the corresponding amine in whole and in “ultrasonically stimulated” cells. The N-oxide reductases responsible for this transformation appear to be largely confined within the microsomal fractions and require NADPH for their activity. A possible relationship between the inhibitory properties of the two compounds and their metabolic fates is discussed.     

重组酿酒酵母生物合成菜油甾醇

菜油甾醇作为甾体药物（孕酮、雄烯二酮、氢化可的松等）的重要合成前体已受到国内外研究学者的广泛关注。首先通过生物信息学分析,筛选了10种不同来源的7-脱氢胆固醇还原酶DHCR7,并采用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术将酿酒酵母（Saccharomyces cerevisiae）内源的ERG5基因替换成不同来源的DHCR7基因,构建了菜油甾醇合成菌株。结果发现整合来源于Pangasianodon hypophthalmus DHCR7的菌株Zw507表现出最高的菜油甾醇的产量216.93 mg/L。进一步筛选了10种酵母内源启动强度较强的启动子来与PhDHCR7基因进行组合,结果显示以TEF1p为启动子时菜油甾醇的产量最高可达253.35 mg/L。为了进一步提高菜油甾醇产量,增加了DHCR7表达盒在酵母基因组上的拷贝数。当拷贝数为3个时,菜油甾醇的产量达到最高302.27 mg/L。最终,通过5 L发酵罐进行补料分批发酵,实现了916.88 mg/L菜油甾醇产量。该菌株可作为后续甾体药物生物合成的优良底盘细胞。     

工程化酿酒酵母合成植物三萜类化合物

三萜类化合物如甘草次酸、皂苷等是许多药物在细胞内发挥药理活性的主要存在形式,可作为药物的主要活性成分,有些还可作为甜味剂等。但是萜类化合物在天然植株中含量很低,不能很好地对其开发和利用。随着萜类物质代谢中关键酶的发现,整个萜类代谢途径变得清晰。近年来合成生物学快速发展,为利用微生物发酵生产三萜化合物奠定了基础。综述了酿酒酵母中三萜化合物的合成途径及在此途径中起重要作用的细胞色素单氧化酶的研究进展。     

Developmental regulation of sterol biosynthesis inCucurbita maxima L.

Twenty-two sterols were identified by capillary gas chromatography and capillary gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy inCucurbita maxima grown under green-house conditions. Both whole plants and individual tissues (leaves, stems, roots, cotyledons, flowers) were analyzed at weekly intervals during the 12-week development of the plant. In whole plants, sterol accumulation parallels plant growth except for a period in the mid-life cycle where there is a reduction in the amount of sterol accumulated on a total sterol/plant and mg sterol/g dry wt basis. This reduction in the amount of sterol is coincident with the visual onset of flowering. During development, the percent contribution of each class of sterol (Δ^5_, Δ^7_, Δ^0_-sterols) remains relatively constant. However, the percent contribution of an individual sterol species varies depending on the tissue examined and the developmental period selected for analysis. While the young plant (<2 weeks) possesses elevated levels of sterols with the Δ²⁵⁽²⁷⁾-double bond, the trend was toward a reduction in the amounts of these sterols with development. Leaves and stems accumulate large quantities of 24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholesta-7,22-dien-3β-ol (7,22-stigmastadienol) and 24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholest-7-en-3β-ol (7-stigmastenol), while roots accumulate only 7,22-stigmastadienol as their principal sterol. Male flowers and roots were found to contain elevated levels of Δ^5_-sterols.     

Regulation of the sequencing in sterol biosynthesis

The evolutionary development and sequencing of events in the biosynthetic pathway leading to sterols is reviewed and illustrated by recent experiments from the author's laboratory. One of 12 papers being published from the “Sterol Symposium” presented at the AOCS Meeting, New Orleans, April 1970.     

The steric requirements for sterol inhibition of tetrahymanol biosynthesis

Many naturally occurring sterols are accumulated and metabolized byTetrahymena pyriformis. In most cases, the sterols are desaturated to give^Δ5,7,22-derivatives. Compounds with an ethyl, but not with a methyl, substituent at C-24 are dealkylated. Exposure of the ciliates to the appropriate sterol sharply curtails the synthesis of the native pentacyclic triterpenoid alcohols, tetrahymanol and diplopterol. An analysis with modified sterols has revealed several additional features that are required for desaturation at C-7,8 and C-22,23 and for inhibition of tetrahymanol biosynthesis. The presence of atrans-17(20)-double bond, which eliminates free rotation at C-20 and fixes C-22 to the right of the nucleus, does not interfere with desaturation, while thecis- or left-handed isomer is not metabolized. Thecis-Δ¹⁷⁽²⁰⁾-isomer is, however, an effective inhibitor of tetrahymanol biosynthesis, although less so that thetrans-counterpart. When a methyl or hydroxyl group at C-20 protrudes to the front of the molecule in the right-handed conformation, metabolism is reduced or abolished. Shortening (by one C-atom) or lengthening of the sterol side chain has little effect on the ability of the compounds to inhibit tetrahymanol biosynthesis or to support growth, as long as the overall length of the side chain does not exceed seven carbons from C-20. The presence of a 7α-, 7β-, 20α-, 20β-, or a 25-hydroxy group in the cholesterol molecule sharply inhibits desaturation and curtails the effectiveness of the compound as an inhibitor of tetrahymanol biosynthesis. The 7- or 22-keto derivatives seem to act in a fashion similar to the hydroxy derivatives, but these compounds show greater inhibition of growth. 20-Methylcholesterol, however, is a potent inhibitor of synthesis, which suggests that the polarity of the substituent of C-20 is more important than bulk. Many sterols can effectively replace tetrahymanol in the membranes of these ciliates. However, several of the compounds, which inhibit synthesis, appear to be physiologically inappropriate, and poor growth results. An example of the latter class is 20-methylcholesterol. Finally, a class of sterols, represented by 20α-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol, does not severly inhibit tetrahymanol synthesis but leads to growth inhibition and surface abnormalities. These sterols apparently lead to a disordered membrane, even in the presence of tetrahymanol.     

Absence of sterol biosynthesis in oyster tissue culture

An oyster heart tissue culture was used to investigate the ability of the American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to synthesize sterols from [¹⁴C]acetate. Lipids were extracted from cultured oyster heart cells and no label was found in the purified fatty acid fraction, 90% of which was located in the saturated and monounsaturated fractions. Although these results cannot rule out the possibility of sterol synthesis in other oyster tissues, this and previous evidence are in support of the hypothesis that the American oyster is unable to synthesize sterols.     

Developmental regulation of sterol biosynthesis inZea mays

Sixty-one sterols and pentacyclic triterpenes have been isolated and characterized by chromatographic and spectral methods fromZea mays (corn). Several plant parts were examined; seed, pollen, cultured hypocotyl cells, roots, coleoptiles (sheaths), and blades. By studying reaction pathways and mechanisms on plants fed radiotracers ([2-¹⁴C]mevalonic acid, [2-¹⁴C]acetate, and [2-³H]acetate), and stable isotopes (D₂O), we discovered that hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase is not “the” rate-limiting enzyme of sitosterol production. Additionally, we observed an ontogenetic shift and kinetic isotope effect in sterol biosynthesis that was associated with the C-24 alkylation of the sterol side chain. Blades synthesized mainly 24α-ethyl-sterols, sheaths synthesized mainly 24-methyl-sterols, pollen possessed an interrupted sterol pathway, accumulating 24(28)-methylene-sterols, and germinating seeds were found to lack an activede novo pathway. Shoots, normally synthesizing (Z)-24(28)-ethylidine-cholesterol, after incubation with deuterated water, synthesized the rearranged double-bond isomer, stigmasta-5,23-dien-3β-ol. Examination of the mass spectrum and¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the deuterated 24-ethyl-sterol indicated the Bloch-Cornforth route originating with acetyl-CoA and passing through mevalonic acid to sterol was not operative at this stage of development. An alternate pathway giving rise to sterols is proposed. Dedicated to the distinguished insect steroid biochemist Dr. James A. Svoboda on occasion of his sixtieth birthday. Based on a paper presented at the Symposium on the “Regulation of Biosynthesis and Function of Isopentenoids”, Atlanta, Georgia, May 1994.     

Optimal Control of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fermentation Process

This article demonstrates the existence of multiple optimal control profiles for the fermentation process involving Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Jones–Kompala model is used to model the dynamics of the fermentation process. Both dilution rate and the oxygen mass transfer coefficient are used as the control variables individually and together. While it was demonstrated recently that the steady-state optimization for the Jones–Kompala model would reveal multiple optimum solutions, this work demonstrates the existence of multiple optimum control profiles when dynamic optimization is performed. To perform the dynamic optimization, the differential equations were converted to a nonlinear program (NLP) using Radau collocation with finite elements and the state-of-the-art optimization program CONOPT (constrained optimizer) was used to obtain the local optimum profiles. The global solution was confirmed using the deterministic global optimization program branch-and-reduce optimization navigator. Both the programs were accessed through the network enabled optimization system (NEOS) server.     

Involvement of heme components in sterol metabolism ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae

There is an intimate association between sterol biosynthesis in yeast and aerobicity. Besides the requirement for molecular oxygen for the epoxidation of squalene, cytochrome hemoproteins are involved in demethylation and desaturation steps. Regulatory effects of hemes on sterol formation have been demonstrated using specifically defective mutants of yeast. Heme competency participates in a mechanism whereby wild-type cells are prevented from taking exogenous sterols from the growth media. The multiple interactions of hemes and sterols appear to be associated with the variously defined functions for sterols in the yeast cells. Based on a paper presented at the Symposium on Plant and Fungal Sterols: Biosynthesis, Metabolism and Function, held at the AOCS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, April 1990.     

Effects of triarimol and tridemorph on sterol biosynthesis inSaprolegnia ferax

The effects of two fungicides, triarimol and tridemorph, on sterol biosynthesis inSaprolegnia ferax were examined. Cultures grown in the presence of triarimol accumulated lanosterol. Tridemorph-treated cultures accumulated Δ⁸-sterols including zymosterol, fecosterol and stigmasta-8-24(28)-dienol. The latter is a new sterol. A proposed scheme is given for sterol biosynthesis inS. ferax showing points of inhibition of triarimol and tridemorph. Results point to the intermediacy of lanosterol but not cycloartenol in sterol synthesis inSaprolegnia.     

AY-9944 inhibition of sterol biosynthesis inChlorella emersonii

WhenChlorella emersonii, a green alga, was cultured in the presence of 20 ppm AY-9944, a number of sterols accumulated which appear to be intermediates of sterol biosynthesis in this organism. The sterols isolated include 14α-methyl-ergost-8-en-3β-ol, 14α-methyl 24S-stigmast-8-en-3β-ol, 14α-methyl ergosta-8,24(28)-dien-3β-ol and 4α, 14α-dimethyl 24S-stigmast-8-en-3β-ol. Smaller quantities of several other sterols were found in addition to the normally occurring Δ⁷, chondrillasterol and Δ⁷. Control cultures were found to contain, in addition to the normally occurring sterols, smaller quantities of most of the sterols isolated from AY-9944 inhibited cultures. AY-9944 is a specific inhibitor of Δ⁷ in cholesterol biosynthesis in animals. However, sinceC. emersonii terminates sterol biosynthesis one step prior to the Δ⁷ step, AY-9944 apparently inhibits sterol biosynthesis prior to this step in this organism. The accumulation of 14α-methyl sterols in treated cultures suggests that AY-9944 is an effective inhibitor of the 14α-methyl removal inC. emersonii. Scientific Article No. A1865, Contribution No. 4775 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Aspects of sterol metabolism in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae and inPhytophthora

Using 5 wild-type strains of yeast, nonequivalence in the isolation of sterol mutants was observed. Experiments are described on the effects of sterol modifications on growth, physical and enzymic properties ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae andPhytophthora cactorum. Although discontinuities in Arrhenius kinetics were observed by fluorescence anisotropy and enzymic measurements of mutants (but not wild-types) of yeast, evidence based on membrane permeability and differential scanning calorimetry failed to support bulk lipid phase transitions as the cause for the discontinuities.     

Inhibition of sterol biosynthesis in chlorella ellipsoidea by AY-99441

WhenChlorella ellipsoidea was grown in the presence of 4 ppm AY-9944, complete inhibition of Δ⁵-sterol biosynthesis was achieved. However total sterol production remained unaltered. As a result a number of sterols accumulated that appear to be intermediates in sterol biosynthesis. These sterols were described and identified as (24S)-5α-ergost-8(9)-en3β-ol, (24S)-5α-stigmast-8(9)-en-3β-ol, 4α-methyl-(24S)-5α-ergosta-8, 14-dien-3β-ol, 4α-methyl-(24S)-5α-stigmasta-8, 14-dien-3β-ol, 4α-methyl-(24S)-5α-ergost-8(9)-en-3β-ol and (24S)-4α-methyl-5α-stigmast-8(9)-en-3β-ol. The occurrence of these sterols inChlorella ellipsoidea is the first time they have been noted in biological material. The accumulation of these sterols in treated cultures indicates that AY-9944 is an extremely effective inhibitor of the Δ⁸→Δ⁷ isomerase and the Δ¹⁴ reductase of these plants. The occurrence of small amounts of other sterols in treated cultures has led to a proposed pathway for thebiosynthesis of sterols inChlorella ellipsoidea. Scientific Article No. A1775, Contribution No. 4565 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.     

The Roles of Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins in Macroautophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Autophagy is a cellular degradation process that sequesters components into a double-membrane structure called the autophagosome, which then fuses with the lysosome or vacuole for hydrolysis and recycling of building blocks. Bulk phase autophagy, also known as macroautophagy, controlled by specific Atg proteins, can be triggered by a variety of stresses, including starvation. Because autophagy relies extensively on membrane traffic to form the membranous structures, factors that control membrane traffic are essential for autophagy. Among these factors, the monomeric GTP-binding proteins that cycle between active and inactive conformations form an important group. In this review, we summarize the functions of the monomeric GTP-binding proteins in autophagy, especially with reference to experiments in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Effects of Non-Thermal Plasma on Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cold plasmas generated by various electrical discharges can affect cell physiology or induce cell damage that may often result in the loss of viability. Many cold plasma-based technologies have emerged in recent years that are aimed at manipulating the cells within various environments or tissues. These include inactivation of microorganisms for the purpose of sterilization, food processing, induction of seeds germination, but also the treatment of cells in the therapy. Mechanisms that underlie the plasma-cell interactions are, however, still poorly understood. Dissection of cellular pathways or structures affected by plasma using simple eukaryotic models is therefore desirable. Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a traditional model organism with unprecedented impact on our knowledge of processes in eukaryotic cells. As such, it had been also employed in studies of plasma-cell interactions. This review focuses on the effects of cold plasma on yeast cells.     

Expression of human asparagine synthetase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Human asparagine synthetase was expressed in the yeast Saccharomycescerevisiae. The identity of the expressed protein was confirmedby immunoblotting and in vitro enzymatic activity. The recombinantenzyme was shown to have both the ammonia-and glutamine-dependentasparagine synthetase activity in vitro. In contrast to overproductionin Escherichia coli, the expressed protein was found to be solublein the yeast cell. Furthermore, expression in yeast made itpossible to isolate non-degraded human asparagine synthetasewhich had also the N-terminal methionine correctly processed.The yeast expression plasmid was constructed for optimal productionof the recombinant enzyme. In addition, unique restriction enzymesites that bracket the first five codons of the human asparaginesynthetase gene were introduced. This will allow the use ofoligonucleotide cassette mutagenesis to investigate the roleof the N-terminal amino acids in asparagine synthetase enzymaticactivity.