Abstract
Assimilation of nitrate and various other inorganic nitrogen compounds by different yeasts was investigated. Nitrate, nitrite, hydroxylamine, hydrazine, ammonium sulphate, urea and L-asparagine were tested as sole sources of nitrogen for the growth of Candida albicans, C. pelliculosa, Debaryomyces hansenii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. tropicalis, and C. utilis. Ammonium sulphate and L-asparagine supported the growth of all the yeasts tested except D. hansenii while hydroxylamine and hydrazine failed to support the growth of any. Nitrate and nitrite were assimilated only by C. utilis. Nitrate utilization by C. utilis was also accompanied by the enzymatic activities of NAD(P)H: nitrate oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.6.2) and NAD(P)H: nitrite oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.6.4), but not reduced methyl viologen-or FAD-nitrate oxidoreductases (EC 1.7.99.4). It is demonstrated here that nitrate and nitrite reductase activities are responsible for the ability of C. utilis to assimilate primary nitrogen.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beevers L, Hageman RH (1969) Nitrate reduction in higher plants. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 20:495–522
Brady BL (1965) Utilization of amino compounds by yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 31:95–102
Burn VJ, Turner PR, Brown CM (1974) Aspects of inorganic nitrogen assimilation in yeasts. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 40:93–102
Choudary PV, Ramananda Rao G (1976a) Regulatory properties of yeast nitrate reductase in situ. Can J Microbiol 22:35–42
Choudary PV, Ramananda Rao G (1976b) Characterization of nitrate reductase from the yeast Candida utilis. Proc Indian Acad Sci 83B:185–195
Cook KA, Sorger GJ (1969) The metabolic control of nitrite reductase in neurospora crassa. Biochim Biophys Acta 177: 412–420
Csaky TZ (1948) On the estimation of bound hydroxylamine in biological materials. Acta Chem Scand 2:450–454
Daniel RM, Curran MP (1981) A method for the determination of nitrate reductase. J Biochem Biophys Meth 4:131–132
DiCarlo FJ, Schultz AS, McManus DK (1951) The assimilation of nucleic acid derivatives and related compounds by yeasts. J Biol Chem 189:151–157
Garrett RH (1972) The induction of nittrite reductase in Neurospora crassa. Biochim Biophys Acta 264:481–489
Garrett RH, Nason A (1969) Further purification and properties of Neurospora nitrate reductase. J Biol Chem 244:2870–2882
Gomori G (1955) Preparation of buffers for use in enzyme studies. In: Methods in enzymology, vol 1, Academic Press, New York, pp 138–146
Harris G, MacWilliams IC (1966) Utilization of certain derivatives of alanine and arginine by yeasts. Biochim Biophys Acta 119:416–418
Hartelius V (1938) Vergleichende Untersuchungen über den Wert der Aminosäuren als Stickstoffquelle für Hefe. Biochem 299:317–333
Hartelius V (1939) Untersuchungen über die Stickstoffassimilation der Hefe. XII. Vergleichende Untersuchungen über den Wert der Aminosäuren als Stickstoffquelle für Hefe. Compt-rend Lab Carlsberg, Serie Physiol 22:303–322
Hartree EF (1972) Determination of protein: a modification of the Lowry method that gives a linear photometric response. Anal Biochem 48:422–427
LaRue TA, Spencer JFT (1967a) The utilization of D-amino acids by yeasts. Can J Microbiol 13:777–788
LaRue TA, Spencer JFT (1967b) The utilization of imidazoles by yeasts. Can J Microbiol 13:789–794
LaRue TA, Spencer JFT (1968) The utilization of purines and pyrimidines by yeasts. Can J Microbiol 14:79–86
Murphy MJ, Siegel LM, Kamin H (1974) Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-sulfite reductase of enterobacteria. J Biol Chem 249:1610–1614
Nason A (1962) Enzymatic pathways of nitrate, nitrite, and hydroxylamine metabolisms. Bacteriol Rev 26:16–41
Nason A, Evans HJ (1955) Nitrate reductase from Neurospora. In: Methods in enzymology, vol 2, Academic Press, New York, pp 411–415
Nielson N (1943) Die Stickstoffassimilation der Hefe. Ergebn Biol 19:375–408
Payne WJ (1973) Reduction of nitrogenous oxides by microorganisms. Bacteriol Rev 37:409–452
Schultz AS, Pomper S (1948) Amino acids as nitrogen sources for the growth of yeasts. Arch Biochem 19:184–192
Siegel LM, Leinweber F-J, Monty KJ (1965) Characterization of the sulfite and hydroxylamine reductases of Neurospora crassa. J Biol Chem 240:2705–2711
Snell FD, Snell CT (1949a) Nitrites. In: Colorímetric methods of analysis, vol 2, D. van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, pp 802–807
Snell FD, Snell CT (1949b) Ammonia and hydrazine. In: Colorimetric methods of analysis, vol 2A. D. van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, pp 702–709
Szekely E (1967) Spectrophotometric determination of nitrate with p-diaminodiphenylsulphone and diphenylamine-p-diaminodiphenyl-sulphone. Talanta 14:941–950
Van der Walt JP (1962) Utilization of ethylamine by yeasts. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek J Microbiol and Serol 28:91–96
Wickerham LJ (1946) A critical evaluation of the nitrogen assimilation tests commonly used in the classification of yeasts. J Bacteriol 52:293–301
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Choudary, P.V., Ramananda Rao, G. Molecular analysis of inorganic nitrogen assimilation in yeasts. Arch. Microbiol. 138, 183–186 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402116
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402116