In Yarrowia lipolytica erythritol catabolism ends with erythrose phosphate

In response to osmotic stress, the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica produces erythritol, a four-carbon sugar alcohol, from erythrose-P, an intermediate of the pentose phosphate pathway. Under non-stressing conditions (isotonic environment), the produced erythritol is subsequently recycled into erythrose-P that can feed the pentose phosphate pathway. Herein, gene YALI0F01584g was characterized as involved in the erythritol catabolic pathway. Several experimental evidences suggested that it encodes an erythrulose-1P isomerase that converts erythrulose-1P into erythrulose-4P. On the basis of our previous reports and results gathered in this study with genetically modified strains, including ΔYALI0F01584g and ΔYALI0F01628g disrupted mutants, the entire erythritol catabolic pathway has been characterized.