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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Analysis of Neutral Lipid Synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Metabolic Labeling and Thin Layer Chromatography
Published on: February 2, 2021
Precursor directed biosynthesis of odd-numbered fatty acids by different yeasts
Tomáš Řezanka1, Irena Kolouchová, Karel Sigler
1Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic, rezanka@biomed.cas.cz.
Yeast strains can produce specific positional isomers of heptadecanoic acid (17:1) by controlling their diet. Cultivating yeast on propionic acid significantly increases the yield of 9-17:1 isomers, offering potential for pharmacological applications.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microbiology
- Organic Chemistry
Background:
- Heptadecanoic acid (17:1) isomers possess valuable pharmacological properties.
- Precursor-directed biosynthesis offers a method for targeted synthesis of specific fatty acid isomers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the directed preparation of positional isomers of heptadecanoic acid (17:1) using yeast.
- To determine the influence of different carbon sources on 17:1 isomer production by various yeast strains.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of selected yeast species (Candida sp., Kluyveromyces polysporus, Rhodotorula glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Trichosporon cutaneum, Yarrowia lipolytica) on glucose, acetic acid, or propionic acid.
- Structural elucidation of 17:1 positional isomers using fatty acid methyl ester dimethyl disulfides.
- Application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to analyze the effects of cultivation conditions.
Main Results:
- Even-numbered carbon sources (glucose, acetic acid) favored the production of 8Z- and 10Z-heptadecenoic acids.
- Propionic acid as the sole carbon source resulted in over 90% of total 17:1 fatty acids being the 9-17:1 isomer.
- Candida sp. cultivated on propionic acid yielded up to 111 mg/L of heptadecenoic acid.
Conclusions:
- Yeast strains can be directed to produce specific heptadecanoic acid (17:1) positional isomers by manipulating their carbon source.
- Propionic acid is a highly effective substrate for enriching the production of 9-17:1 isomers.
- This study demonstrates a viable biotechnological approach for producing pharmacologically relevant fatty acids.
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