Transcriptional profiling of wine yeast in fermenting grape juice: regulatory effect of diammonium phosphate

• Published in: FEMS yeast research Vol. 3; no. 3; pp. 269 - 287
• Main Authors: Marks, Virginia D, van der Merwe, George K, van Vuuren, Hennie J.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier B.V 01.05.2003; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Alcohols - metabolism; Amino acids; Amino Acids, Branched-Chain - metabolism; Ammonia; Arginine - metabolism; Beverages; Ethyl carbamate; Fermentation; Fusel alcohol; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal - drug effects; Genome-wide expression analysis; Hydrogen sulfide; Metabolism; Models, Biological; Musts; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Nitrogen catabolite repression; Nitrogen sources; One-carbon metabolism; Phosphates - pharmacology; Protein biosynthesis; Protein turnover; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - drug effects; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - growth & development; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Spoilage; Sulfates; Tetrahydrofolic acid; Transcription; Up-Regulation; Urea; Urea - metabolism; Wine; Wine - microbiology; Wine yeast; Wineries; Wines; Hydrogen sulfide; Fusel alcohol; Genome-wide expression analysis; Ethyl carbamate; One-carbon metabolism; Nitrogen catabolite repression; Wine yeast
• ISSN: 1567-1356; 1567-1364
• DOI: 10.1016/S1567-1356(02)00201-5

The nitrogen composition of grape musts affects fermentation kinetics and production of aroma and spoilage compounds in wine. It is common practice in wineries to supplement grape musts with diammonium phosphate (DAP) to prevent nitrogen-related fermentation problems. Laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae preferentially use rich nitrogen sources, such as ammonia, over poor nitrogen sources. We used global gene expression analysis to monitor the effect of DAP addition on gene expression patterns in wine yeast in fermenting Riesling grape must. The expression of 350 genes in the commercial wine yeast strain VIN13 was affected; 185 genes were down-regulated and 165 genes were up-regulated in response to DAP. Genes that were down-regulated encode small molecule transporters and nitrogen catabolic enzymes, including those linked to the production of urea, a precursor of ethyl carbamate in wine. Genes involved in amino acid metabolism, assimilation of sulfate, de novo purine biosynthesis, tetrahydrofolate one-carbon metabolism, and protein synthesis were up-regulated. The expression level of 86 orphan genes was also affected by DAP.