Oxygen- and glucose-dependent regulation of central carbon metabolism in Pichia anomala

We investigated the regulation of the central aerobic and hypoxic metabolism of the biocontrol and non-Saccharomyces wine yeast Pichia anomala. In aerobic batch culture, P. anomala grows in the respiratory mode with a high biomass yield (0.59 g [dry weight] of cells g of glucose(-1)) and marginal ethanol, glycerol, acetate, and ethyl acetate production. Oxygen limitation, but not glucose pulse, induced fermentation with substantial ethanol production and 10-fold-increased ethyl acetate production. Despite low or absent ethanol formation, the activities of pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase were high during aerobic growth on glucose or succinate. No activation of these enzyme activities was observed after a glucose pulse. However, after the shift to oxygen limitation, both enzymes were activated threefold. Metabolic flux analysis revealed that the tricarboxylic acid pathway operates as a cycle during aerobic batch culture and as a two-branched pathway under oxygen limitation. Glucose catabolism through the pentose phosphate pathway was lower during oxygen limitation than under aerobic growth. Overall, our results demonstrate that P. anomala exhibits a Pasteur effect and not a Crabtree effect, i.e., oxygen availability, but not glucose concentration, is the main stimulus for the regulation of the central carbon metabolism.