Glycerol and dihydroxyacetone metabolizing enzymes in fission yeasts of the genus Schizosaccharomyces

Abstract

The only species of fission yeasts capable of growing on glycerol or dihydroxyacetone were Schizosaccharomyces pombe and S. malidevorans. When growing on glycerol or grown on glucose until it was exhausted, these species contained glycerol:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase and dihydroxyacetone kinase but no glycerol kinase, consistent with utilization of glycerol via dihydroxyacetone. When grown to exhaustion of glucose, S. octosporus, S. slooffiae and S. japonicus contained dihydroxyacetone kinase but no glycerol:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase or glycerol kinase. Prior to exhaustion of glucose in the medium, all species contained dihydroxyacetone kinase, all species except S. japonicus contained glycerol:NADP+ 2-oxidoreductase, and only S. pombe and S. malidevorans contained glycerol:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase. Possible roles for the glycerol:NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase, glycerol:NADP+ 2-oxidoreductase and dihydroxyacetone kinase in metabolism of glycerol and dihydroxyacetone are discussed.