Oxygen as a factor in eukaryote evolution: some effects of low levels of oxygen on Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A comparative study of the effects of varying levels of oxygen on some of the metabolic functions of the primitive eukaryote, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has shown that these cells are responsive to very low levels of oxygen: the level of palmitoyl-Co A desaturase was greatly enhanced by only 0.03% (v/v) oxygen. Similarly, an acetyl-CoA synthetase associated predominantly with anaerobic growth, was stimulated by as little as 0.1% oxygen, while an isoenzyme correlated with aerobic growth, was maximally active at much higher oxygen levels (greater than 1%). Closely following this latter pattern were three mitochondrial enzymes that attained maximal activity only under atmospheric levels of oxygen.