Abstract
Preparations of membrane fractions from 16 yeasts and three moulds were assayed for long-chain fatty alcohol oxidase (FAOD) activities after being grown on hexadecane or glucose and, in nine cases, on oleic acid. The enzyme was usually repressed in glucose-grown cells but in Candida bombicola ATCC 22 214 and Debaryomyces hansenii NCYC 33 appeared to be constitutive. Highest activities occurred in C. tropicalis and D. polymorphus (about 0.8 unit/mg protein) grown on hexadecane. Growth of yeasts on oleic acid partially induced FAOD activity but not with the moulds. In two strains of Yarrowia lipolytica (DSM 3286 and CBS 2076) no activity of FAOD was found but this could have been due to the known photo-lability of the enzyme. FAOD from different species shared similar characteristics with respect to substrate specificity and pH optimum.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Blasig R, Mauersberger S, Riege P, Schunk W-H, Jockisch W, Franke P (1988) Degradation of long chain n-alkanes by the yeast Candida maltosa. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 28:903–906
Boulton CA, Ratledge C (1984) The physiology of hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms. Top Enzyme Ferment Biotechnol 9:11–77
Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254
Broadway NM, Dickinson FM, Ratledge C (1993) The enzymology of dicarboxylic acid formation by Corynebacterium sp. strain 7E1C. J Gen Microbiol 139:1337–1344
Fox MGA, Dickinson FM, Ratledge C (1992) Long-chain alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain HO1-N. J Gen Microbiol 138:1963–1972
Hommel R, Ratledge C (1990) Evidence for two fatty alcohol oxidase in the biosurfactant-producing yeast Candida (Torulopsis) bombicola. FEMS Microbiol Lett 70:183–188
Il'chenko AP (1984) Oxidase of higher alcohols in the yeast Torulopsis candida grown on hexadecane. Mikrobiologiya 53:903–906
Kemp GD, Dickinson FM, Ratledge C (1988) Inducible long chain alcohol oxidase from alkane-grown Candida tropicalis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 29:370–374
Kemp GD, Dickinson FM, Ratledge C (1990) Light sensitivity of the n-alkane-induced fatty alcohol oxidase from Candida tropicalis and Yarrowia lipolytica. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 32:461–464
Rehm HJ, Reiff I (1992) Regulation der mikrobiellen Alkanoxidation mit Hinblick auf die Produktbildung. Acta Biotechnol 2:127–138
Savitha J, Ratledge C (1991) Alcohol oxidase of Aspergillus flavipes grown on hexadecanol. FEMS Microbiol Lett 80:221–224
Watkinson RJ, Morgan P (1990) Physiology of aliphatic hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms. Biodegradation 1:79–92
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Correspondence to: C. Ratledge
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kemp, G.D., Dickinson, F.M. & Ratledge, C. Occurrence of fatty alcohol oxidase in alkane-and fatty-acid-utilising yeasts and moulds. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 873–875 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173991
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173991