info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
CARACTERIZACIÓN DE LA VÍA SREBP DEPENDIENTE DE LOS NIVELES DE ERGOSTEROL Y OXÍGENO EN LA BIOSÍNTESIS DE CAROTENOIDES Y ERGOSTEROL EN Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous
Autor
Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, María Soledad
Institución
Resumen
Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is a basidiomycete yeast that synthesizes carotenoids, mainly astaxanthin, this characteristic is of great commercial interest and subject of numerous studies. However, there are many unknown aspects related to transcriptional regulation mechanisms of carotenogenesis. Recent studies propose that ergosterol, the main sterol in yeast, is involved in the regulation of carotenogenic genes expression and on other genes of the mevalonate pathway. In this aspect, in other fungi it has been demonstrated that the mechanism by which ergosterol regulates gene transcription is through the SREBP (Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein) pathway. The transcriptional factor Sre1 contains a transcriptional activation domain at its amino terminal end (Sre1N) that is activated when cellular sterols and/or oxygen levels decrease and by this way, it regulates the transcription of genes involved in the biosynthesis of sterols and response to hypoxia, among others. The general goal of this work was to study if this mechanism, the SREBP pathway, regulates the biosynthesis of carotenoids and sterols in X. dendrorhous, focusing on the function of the transcriptional regulator Sre1. First, X. dendrorhous potential genes of the SREBP pathway, SRE1, SCP1, STP1 and OFD1, were identified and bioinformatically characterized. To study the functionality of the SRE1 gene, deletion mutants of this gene were constructed: CBS.sre1- and CBS.cyp61- / sre1- that derived from the parental strains CBS 6938 and CBS.cyp61- (which does not produce ergosterol), respectively. In addition, the mutant strain CBS.gSRE1N was generated, which expresses only the transcription activating domain (Sre1N). The phenotype of these strains was evaluated in relation to sterol and carotenoids production, growth in the presence of sterol synthesis inhibitor (clotrimazole) and transcript level of some genes. As a result, it was observed that the SRE1 gene deletion, decreases the production of both types of metabolites and also this gene is essential for growth in the presence of clotrimazole. In addition, the production of carotenoids and sterols in the CBS.gSRE1N strain was increased 2-fold compared to the wild-type strain. In parallel, a heterologous complementation assay was performed by expressing the X. dendrorhous SRE1 gene in a Schizosaccharomyces pombe sre1- mutant strain. Partial complementation was observed as the complemented strain displayed better growth in anaerobiosis and in the presence of cobalt chloride (an agent that imitates hypoxia conditions), regarding to the controls strains. On the other hand, transcriptomic analyses of the mutant strains were carried out in conditions of normoxia, hypoxia and cultures in the presence of cobalt chloride. In general, it was observed that Sre1 is necessary for the response to hypoxia conditions and that cobalt chloride would imitate these conditions in the transcriptional response in the yeast, at least in some genes of the sterol biosynthesis. In conclusion, the SRE1 gene identified in X. dendrorhous is functional and it is involved in the regulation of the biosynthesis of sterols and carotenoids in this yeast.