Identification of the enzymatic lesions responsible for the accumulation of acetylated sphingosine bases in the yeast Hansenula ciferri

Yechezkel Barenholz, Nathan Gadot, Eliyahu Valk, Shimon Gatt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The enzymatic lesions responsible for the accumulation of acetylated sphingosine bases in the "high producer" strains of the genus Hansenula were studied. Two strains, one a "low" and the other a "high" producer, were selected to compare four enzymatic steps leading to the synthesis of acetylated dihydrosphingosine by yeast microsomes. Both strains were very similar in their generation time and DNA content, but the high producer accumulated 150 times more sphingosine bases than the low producer. Among the four microsomal enzymes, the specific activity of the palmityl thiokinase and 3-ketodihydrosphingosine reductase were almost identical in the two strains. In contrast, the specific activity of the 3-ketodihydrosphingosine synthetase, which catalyzed the rate-limiting step in dihydrosphingosine biosynthesis, was 5-10-fold greater in the high producer strain than in the low producer. The long-chain base-acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase was at least 30 times more active in the high as compared with the low producer. It therefore seems that the latter two enzymes may be the cause for the in vivo accumulation of acetylated sphingosine bases in the high producers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)341-345
Number of pages5
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids
Volume306
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 May 1973
Externally publishedYes

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