Precursor directed biosynthesis of odd-numbered fatty acids by different yeasts

Precursor-directed biosynthesis was used for directed preparation of positional isomers of heptadecanoic acid (17:1), which have convenient pharmacological properties. Cultivation of Candida sp., Kluyveromyces polysporus, Rhodotorula glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii, Trichosporon cutaneum, and Yarrowia lipolytica on 20 g/L glucose, 4 g/L acetic, or 4 g/L propionic acids yielded different proportions of 17:1. Cultivation on carbon sources with even numbers of carbon atoms (glucose and acetic acid) produced preferentially 8Z- and 10Z-heptadecenoic acids in about equal amounts, in agreement with the proposed biosynthesis of fatty acids, whereas cultivation on propionic acid as the only carbon source produced over 90 % of total fatty acids of 9-17:1 out of all possible positional isomers. The structures of positional isomers of 17:1 acid were determined using dimethyl disulfides of fatty acid methyl esters. In cultivation of Candida sp. on propionic acid, the yield of heptadecenoic acid reached 111 mg/L cultivation medium. Principal component analysis was used for identifying the effect of cultivation conditions on the production of the 17:1 acid by individual yeast strains.