Suspension density and accumulation ratio of sugars and amino acids in yeasts

Abstract

Suspension density has a pronounced effect on the transport parameters of monosaccharides, disaccharides and amino acids in all ycast species tested. InLodderomyces elongisporus, the accumulation ratio of 6-deoxy-D-glucose, a nonmetabolized sugar, was as high as 560: 1 at 0.5 mg dry mass per mL but only 10: 1 at 50 mg dry mass per mL. In the low-density range, the temperature optimum was very pronounced (at about 40 °C) and the pH optimum was very clear at pH 4.6. Iodoacetamide (0.5 mmol/L), 2,4-dinitrophenol (0.5 mmol/L), uranyl ions (0.5 mmol/L) and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (10 mmol/L) depressed the accumulation in the low-density range by 42, 97, 96 and 98 %, respectively. Preincubation with 1% sucrose and 1% L-fructose stimulated subsequent accumulation by 40 and 105%, respectively. In the high-density range, there was a poorly pronounced temperature optimum, no pH optimum and little effects of inhibitors except 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2-deoxy-D-glucose which inhibited by 68 and 89% respectively. No stimulation by preincubation with sugars was observed. There was a difference of 0.3 pH units in the intracellular pH of high-density and low-density cells and the membrane potential was -31 mV and -78 mV, respectively, which could not account for the differences in accumulation. However, there was a fine correlation between this accumulation ratio and the activity of the plasma membrane H⁺ATPase.