Extracellular secretion of free fatty acids by disruption of a fatty acyl-CoA synthetase gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

• Published in: Journal of bioscience and bioengineering Vol. 95; no. 5; pp. 435 - 440
• Main Authors: Michinaka, Yasunari, Shimauchi, Toshitsugu, Aki, Tsunehiro, Nakajima, Toshiaki, Kawamoto, Seiji, Shigeta, Seiko, Suzuki, Osamu, Ono, Kazuhisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Elsevier B.V 2003; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: acyl-CoA oxidase; acyl-CoA synthetase; FREE FATTY ACIDS; LIGASES; SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE; SECRETION; acyl-CoA oxidase; secretion; acyl-CoA synthetase; free fatty acids; EMS; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; ATCC; bp
• ISSN: 1389-1723; 1347-4421
• DOI: 10.1016/S1389-1723(03)80041-5

To elucidate the molecular mechanism governing fatty acid transport across the cell membrane, we first isolated a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant, B-1, that exhibits a reduced acyl-CoA oxidase activity and an increase in free fatty acid accumulation. Following mutagenesis of B-1, a mutant, YTS51, which secretes free fatty acids, was isolated. The concentration of free fatty acids in the YTS51 culture medium was about 17 times higher than that in B-1. The mutation that causes the fatty acid secretion phenotype occurred at a single allele, and this phenotype was suppressed by the introduction of a single copy of FAA1, a gene for acyl-CoA Synthetase, to the mutant. Although the mutation expressing this phenotype was not within FAA1 in YTS51, the disruption of FAA1 in the wild-type strain resulted in fatty acid secretion even though the level of fatty acid secretion was less than that in YTS51. We consider that YTS51 is a suitable model to elucidate the molecular basis of the fatty acid transport process.