Comparative fatty acid profiling of Mucor rouxii under different stress conditions

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 259; no. 1; pp. 60 - 66
• Main Authors: Jeennor, Sukanya, Laoteng, Kobkul, Tanticharoen, Morakot, Cheevadhanarak, Supapon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2006; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Action of physical and chemical agents on bacteria; Aerobiosis; Anaerobic conditions; Anaerobiosis; Atmospheric conditions; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Culture Media; Cytology; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - analysis; Fish oils; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma‐linolenic acid; Heat-Shock Response; hydroxy fatty acid; Hypoxia; Lauric acid; Microbiology; morphological growth; Morphology; Morphology, structure, chemical composition; Mucor; Mucor - chemistry; Mucor - classification; Mucor - growth & development; Mucor - physiology; Mucor rouxii; Mycelia; Oxidative Stress; oxygen; phenethyl alcohol; Phenylethyl Alcohol - pharmacology; Yeast; Yeasts; hydroxy fatty acid; phenethyl alcohol; morphological growth; oxygen; gamma-linolenic acid; Oxygen; Growth; Phycomycetes; Lipids; Fatty acids; Microbial biomass; gammalinolenic acid; Stress; γ-Linolenic acid; Fungi; Mucor rouxii; Hydroxyacid; Morphological analysis; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00242.x

Abstract To understand the relationship between fatty acid metabolism and the growth morphology of Mucor rouxii, fatty acid profiling was studied comparatively in cells grown under conditions which included different atmospheric conditions or the addition of phenethyl alcohol (PEA). The significant difference in fatty acid profiles from M. rouxii grown under aerobic or anaerobic conditions was not found to be directly related to morphological growth. Oxygen limitation, which induced the formation of pure multipolar budding yeasts, led to a decrease in long-chain fatty acids – particularly unsaturated fatty acids – and an increase in medium-chain saturated fatty acids, a finding which contrasted with the aerobic cultures, including mycelia and PEA-induced bipolar budding cells. High levels of C18 : 1Δ9 were found in aerobic yeast cultures with additional PEA when compared to that in the aerobically grown mycelia. The identification of unusual fatty acids in Mucor in response to alcoholic and hypoxic stresses – including odd-numbered fatty acids and 7-hydroxy dodecanoic acid (7-OH C12 : 0) in addition to the more common fatty acids – implied that an important role existed for these unusual fatty acids.