Full text: Download
In order to live, cells need to import different molecules, such as sugars, amino acids, or lipids, using transporters. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the ScFAT1 gene encodes the long-chain fatty acid transporter; however, the transport of fatty acids in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has not yet been studied. In contrast to what has previously been found for ΔScfat1 strains, ΔYlfat1 yeast was still able to grow on substrates containing short-, medium-, or long-chain fatty acids. We observed a notable difference in cell lipid content between wild-type and deletion mutant strain after 24 h of culture in minimal-oleate medium: in the wild-type strain, lipids represented 24% of cell dry weight, while they accounted for 37% of cell dry weight in the ΔYlfat1 strain. This result indicates that YlFat1p is not involved in cell lipid uptake. Moreover, we also observed that fatty acid remobilisation was decreased in the ΔYlfat1 strain and that fluorescence-tagged YlFat1p proteins localised to the interfaces between lipid bodies, which suggests that YlFat1p may play a role in the export of fatty acids from lipid bodies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.