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Applying dimorphic yeasts as model organisms to study mycelial growth: part 2. Use of mathematical simulations to identify different construction principles in yeast colonies

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Abstract

The dimorphic yeasts Candida boidinii and Yarrowia lipolytica were applied as model organisms to study mycelial growth. A mathematical model of hybrid cellular automaton type was developed to analyze the impact of different biological assumptions on the predicted development of filamentous yeast colonies. The one-dimensional model described discrete cells and continuous distribution of nutrients. The simulation algorithm accounted for proliferation of cells, diffusion of nutrient, as well as biomass decay and recycling inside the mycelium. Simulations reproduced the spatio-temporal development of C. boidinii colonies when a diffusion-limited growth algorithm based on the growth of pseudohyphal cells was applied. Development of Y. lipolytica colonies could only be reproduced when proliferation was restricted to the colony boundary, and cell decay and biomass recycling were incorporated into the model. The results suggested that cytoplasm, which served as the secondary nutrient resource, had to be translocated inside the hyphal network.

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Abbreviations

A :

Growth field area (cm2)

c N :

Nutrient concentration (mg mL−1)

D :

Diffusion constant (cm2 s−1)

DW:

Dry weight fraction of wet biomass

d C :

Cell diameter (cm)

h :

Height of the growth field (cm)

i :

Index of a lattice node

K :

Calibration factor for cell density from OD (cm−2)

l :

Length of the growth field (cm)

l C :

Length of a cell (cm)

m C :

Mass of a unit cell (mg)

n :

Number of lattice nodes

n C,p :

Number of proliferating unit cells

nC,p*:

Number of proliferating unit cells placed to lattice node (i + 1)

n C,s :

Number of stationary unit cells

OD:

Optical density

r N,con :

Total nutrient consumption rate (mg mL−1 h−1)

r N,main :

Nutrient uptake rate per cell due to maintenance (mg h−1)

r N,prol :

Nutrient uptake rate per cell due to proliferation (mg h−1)

r N,rep :

Nutrient replenishment rate (mg mL−1 h−1)

R :

Specific nutrient uptake rate due to maintenance (mg mg−1 h−1)

s :

State of a lattice node

s C :

State of a cell

T C :

Time constant for cell decay (h)

Δt :

Time step for the continuous time scale (h)

Δt p :

Replication interval (generation time) (h)

V C :

Volume of a cell (mL)

V i :

Volume assigned to one lattice node (mL)

w :

Width of the growth field (cm)

Y :

Biomass yield on nutrient (mg mg−1)

ρ C :

Density of wet biomass (mg mL−1)

σ :

Fraction of cells

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by DFG grant 218147.

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Author notes

  1. Thomas Walther

    Present address: Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, UMR INSA/CNRS 5504, UMR INSA/INRA 792, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 04, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Food Technology and Bioprocess Engineering, Technical University Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Thomas Walther, Holger Reinsch & Thomas Bley

  2. Institute of Genetics, Technical University Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Kai Ostermann

  3. Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing, Technical University Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Andreas Deutsch

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  1. Thomas Walther
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  2. Holger Reinsch
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  4. Andreas Deutsch
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  5. Thomas Bley
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Correspondence to Thomas Walther.

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Walther, T., Reinsch, H., Ostermann, K. et al. Applying dimorphic yeasts as model organisms to study mycelial growth: part 2. Use of mathematical simulations to identify different construction principles in yeast colonies. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 34, 21–31 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-010-0443-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-010-0443-5

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