The electrochemical H+ gradient in the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis

Physiology of yeasts in relation to biomass yields

The stoichiometric limit to the biomass yield (maximal assimilation of the carbon source) is determined by the amount of CO2 lost in anabolism and the amount of carbon source required for generation of NADPH. This stoichiometric limit may be reached when yeasts utilize formate as an additional energy source. Factors affecting the biomass yield on single substrates are discussed under the following headings: Energy requirement for biomass formation (YATP). YATP depends strongly on the nature of the carbon source. Cell composition. The macroscopic composition of the biomass, and in particular the protein content, has a considerable effect on the ATP requirement for biomass formation. Hence, determination of for instance the protein content of biomass is relevant in studies on bioenergetics. Transport of the carbon source. Active (i.e. energy-requiring) transport, which occurs for a number of sugars and polyols, may contribute significantly to the calculated theoretical ATP requirement for biomass formation. P/O-ratio. The efficiency of mitochondrial energy generation has a strong effect on the cell yield. The P/O-ratio is determined to a major extent by the number of proton-translocating sites in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Maintenance and environmental factors. Factors such as osmotic stress, heavy metals, oxygen and carbon dioxide pressures, temperature and pH affect the yield of yeasts. Various mechanisms may be involved, often affecting the maintenance energy requirement. Metabolites such as ethanol and weak acids. Ethanol increases the permeability of the plasma membrane, whereas weak acids can act as proton conductors. Energy content of the growth substrate. It has often been attempted in the literature to predict the biomass yield by correlating the energy content of the carbon source (represented by the degree of reduction) to the biomass yield or the percentage assimilation of the carbon source. An analysis of biomass yields of Candida utilis on a large number of carbon sources indicates that the biomass yield is mainly determined by the biochemical pathways leading to biomass formation, rather than by the energy content of the substrate.

Analysis of the H+/sugar symport in yeast under conditions of depolarized plasma membrane

H+/sugar symport in the obligatory aerobic yeast Rhodotorula glutinis was analyzed under conditions where the plasma membrane was selectively depolarized by the lipophilic cation tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+). Control experiments showed that this treatment did not impair the transmembrane delta pH, the cell energy charge, and the function of plasma membrane H+-ATPase. The kinetic data were fitted to elementary functions derived from a model constructed on the basis of some simplifying premises for ordered (either C + H+ + S or C + S + H+) and random reaction mechanisms. In addition, the comparison of the kinetic parameters in fully energized and depolarized cells provided information about the free carrier charge. It was concluded that the binding sequence of formation of the ternary carrier/H+/substrate complex follows a random mechanism and that the carrier bears a negative charge.

31P-NMR evidence for cytoplasmic acidification and phosphate extrusion in syringomycin-treated cells of Rhodotorula pilimanae

31P-NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of the phytotoxin, syringomycin, on phosphate metabolism and intracellular pH changes in the yeast Rhodotorula pilimanae. Syringomycin, at levels between 20 and 60 units per 10(8) cells, caused a cellular efflux of orthophosphate. At 40 and 60 unit per 10(8) cells, the efflux was accompanied by a decrease in polyphosphate and an acidification of the cytoplasm. At low temperatures (5 degrees C) and with 75 units per 10(8) cells, these effects were more rapid and pronounced. The efflux of phosphate was confirmed by chemically assaying extracellular phosphate after syringomycin treatment.

Energy efficiency of different mechanistic models for potassium ion uptake in lower eukaryotic cells

Different mechanistic models for potassium ion uptake are analyzed by an equilibrium-thermodynamic formalism in terms of their comparative efficiency in setting chemical potential differences of the potassium ion of different magnitudes across the plasma membrane of lower eukaryotic cells. The possible adaptive advantages for a multimode mechanism(s) operating in alternative modes depending on the physiological and/or environmental conditions of the cells are discussed.

A 31P NMR study of the internal pH of yeast peroxisomes

The internal pH of peroxisomes in the yeasts Hansenula polymorpha, Candida utilis and Trichosporon cutaneum X4 was estimated by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. 31P NMR spectra of suspensions of intact cells of these yeasts, grown under conditions of extensive peroxisomal proliferation, displayed two prominent Pi-peaks at different chemical shift positions. In control cells grown on glucose, which contain very few peroxisomes, only a single peak was observed. This latter peak, which was detected under all growth conditions, was assigned to cytosolic Pi at pH 7.1. The additional peak present in spectra of peroxisome-containing cells, reflected Pi at a considerably lower pH of approximately 5.8-6.0. Pi at a considerably lower pH of approximately 5.8-6.0. Experiments with the protonophore carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazon (CCCP) and the ionophores valinomycin and nigericin revealed that separation of the two Pi-peaks was caused by a pH-gradient across a membrane separating the two pools. Experiments with chloroquine confirmed the acidic nature of one of these pools. In a number of transfer experiments with the yeast H. polymorpha it was shown that the relative intensity of the Pi-signal at the low pH-position was correlated to the peroxisomal volume fraction. These results strongly suggest that this peak has to be assigned to Pi in peroxisomes, which therefore are acidic in nature. The presence of peroxisome-associated Pi was confirmed cytochemically.