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Hyflo Super-Cel was obtained from the Johns- ether. "Crude" phytoene and phytofluene were
Manville Corp., New York, N.Y. Magnesium eluted from the column, and the other bands were
oxide was obtained from the Baker Chemical cut from the columns and individually eluted
Co., North Phillipsburg, N.J. Cellulose ashless with solvents. The order of adsorption was f3-caro-
powder, standard grade (Whatman), was ob- tene, f-zeacarotene, A-carotene, -y-carotene,
tained from Van Waters and Rodgers, San neurosporene, and torulin. All of these, except
Francisco, Calif., W. & R. Balston Ltd. Alumina, torulin and torularhodin, were eluted from the
neutral activity grade I, was obtained from column material with acetone. They were trans-
Alupharm Chemicals, New Orleans, La. Methyl- ferred to petroleum ether, and washed free from
heptenone and #3-ionone were obtained from acetone with water washes.
Fritzsche Bros. Inc., New York, N.Y. Torulin was eluted with ethyl ether and methyl
R. glutinis 48-23T was cultivated on a medium alcohol, and torularhodin was eluted with acetic
consisting of 10% (v/v) yeast autolysate, 2.5% acid-ethyl ether (1:10). The water-soluble com-
agar, and 5% glucose (Nakayama et al., 1954). pounds were removed by water washes, and the
A 100-ml amount of medium was autoclaved in ethyl ether was dried over anhydrous sodium
shasta flasks (flat whiskey bottles of 473-ml sulfate. Torularhodin and torulin were taken
capacity) and allowed to solidify with the flasks to dryness in a rotary flash evaporator, and then
lying on one side. This provided an agar surface were dissolved in CHCl3 and petroleum ether,
of approximately 100 cm2 for growth. In some respectively.
experiments both strains 48-23T and 62-506 Torulin was rechromatographed on cellulose,
were cultivated in 250-ml Erlenmeyer flasks where it separated into an orange and a red band.
tion cturves. Close agreement was obtained however, based on know-n structures of torulin
between the absorption maximna of the isolated (Riiegg et al., 1961a, b) and tortllarhodin (Isleir
pigments and p)ublished data. Trable 1 lists the et al., 1959), would involve a monoevelic carote-
characteristic av elength maxima and the ex- noil, such as y-carotene, as a conmmon p)recursor.
tinction alues u.sed for quantitativ-e deter- Mlackinnev et al. (1952) found that, W-ionone
minat ion. vapor stimulated to a markied degree the amnount
of carotenoids, particularly a-carotene, formed by
RESULTS Phyconmyces blakesleeanus. Reyes (1963) showed
R. glutinis 48-23T, which altered the coml)osi- that sterol, as well as carotenoid formation, was
tion of its carotenoids when cultured at 5 C, was stimulate(l by 0-ionone. The effect was lpostulated
reinvestigated. Wthile the mnajor p)igments had as one of an inhibition of a ne(eative feedback
been identified by Nakavama et al. (1954), it mechanism acting at the l)athway level of the
was felt that minor p)igments might have been phosphorylated derivatives of mnevalonic acid.
lost in the l)rocedures utilized in the oriiginal Mlethylheptenone vapor has b? en shown
inxvestigation. (Nakayama et al., 1957) to stimnulate the fomnia-
A summary of the differences in carotenoid tion of phytoene, p)hytofluene, c-carotene,
concentration in cultures grown at 5 an(l 25 C is neurosl)orene, ancd to a lesser extent. s-carotene
shown in Table 2. The effect of teml)erature was in Phycomyces.
twecfold. (i) The amnount of cell material per l3oth 0-ionone and methylheptenone stimu-
ctllttlre Nvas less at the lower temlerature, and the lated the formation of phytoene, phytofluene,
Phytoene 285
.......... 285 850 Rabourn and Quackenbush, 1953
Phytofluene ........ 348 348 1,540 Koe and Zechmeistei, 1952
c-Carotene ......... 399 400 2,500 Nash, Quackenbush, and Porter, 1948
Neurosporene .... 438 439 2,740 Nakayama, 1958
3-Zeacarotene.426 426 1,940 Petzold, Quackenbush, and MIcQuistan, 1959
,31-Zeacarotene . 427 427 1,800 Petzold et al., 1959
y-Carotene ...... 460 460 2,760 Goodwin, 1956
3-Carotene ......... 451 452 2,500 Karrer and Jucker, 1950
Torulill ............ 484 485 2,)680 Simps9)n, Nakayaama, anid Chichester, 1964
Torularhodini ..... 515 515 1,932 KarIer and Jucker, 1950
* All determinatioins were miade in petroleum ether, except torularhodini, for whicll CHC13 was used.
VOL. 88, 1964 BIOSYNTHESIS OF YEAST CAROTENOIDS 1691
TABLE 2. Concentrations of various carotenoids noids. Phytofluene, -y-carotene, :-carotene, and
produced by Rhodotorula glutinis 48-23Y' torulin were identified in that study. From the
after growth at 5 and 25 C light-absorption values and their positions on the
Concn of carotenoid column, pigment "A" of Bonner et al. (1946)
Carotc noid Incubated 12 days Incubated 21 days TABLE 3. Influence of methylheptenone and ,3-ionone
at 25 C* at 5 C* vapors on concentrations of various carotenoids
produced by Rhodotorula glbtinis 48-23T
Amt Per cent Amt Per cent
Concn of carotenoid
.Ag/gt ,Ag/gt
Phytoene ..... With methyl- With ,-ionone
Carotenoid heptenone No vapors*
Phytofluene .... Trace vapor* vapor*
i-Carotene
Neurosporene 3.4 1.3 4.5 2.2 Amtt Per
Amtt Per
Amtt Per
cent
AmtcentI cent
f3-Zeacarotene ..... 2.3 0.9 10.8 5.2
oy-Carotene ...... 32.3 12.5 24.2 11.7 mg/g jAg/g i.g/g
fl-Carotene ....... 64.4 25.2 133.0 64.0 Phytoene .... 63.0 39.3 86.5 52.1
Torularhodin..... 62.0 24.3 9.9 4.8
was probably neurosporene, and pigment "B," concentration. The abrupt change in 7-carotene
c-carotene. The presence of torularhodin, phy- in any case is indicative of a major change in
toene, and ,B-zeacarotene was not indicated. At metabolism. The metabolic changes observed are
the time of their report, many of the carotenoid similar to many previous observations (Jensen
structures were unknown; thus, a relationship et al., 1961; Claes, 1954, 1956, 1958).
based on structure was then not possible. In P. blakesleeanus (Chichester, Wong, and
Villoutreix (1960) isolated phytoene, phyto- Mackinney, 1954), it was shown that methyl-
fluene, c-carotene, neurosporene, pigment X heptenone blocks carotenoid synthesis, largely
(probably identical to f3-zeacarotene), y-carotene, at the phytoene level, although some accumula-
torularhodin, torulin, and 83-carotene. In addi- tion of phytofluene was noted. It was postulated
tion, one mutant, which only formed acyclic that the dehydrogenation steps in the pathway
polyenes, also formed lycopene and spirilloxan- were blocked (Porter and Lincoln, 1950; Jensen
thin. Villoutreix (1960) concluded, on the basis et al., 1958), and thus the accumulation of the
of the analysis of the amounts of the various more saturated intermediates occurred. The same
carotenoids isolated, that the various yeast effect was noted when the cultures were treated
polyenes were not mutually related. with citral or cyclocitral (Chichester et al., 1954),
19. A survey of the polyenes in a nunmber of mins A from corn. AICh. Biochem. 3iopPhys.
ripe berries. liochem. J. 62:346-352. 82:117-124.
GRAFF, MI. M., I. T. O'CONNOR, AND E. L. SKAN. PORTER, J. W., AND I). (G. ANDERSON. 1962. The
1944. Purification of solvents for absorption biosynthesis of carotenes. Archl. Biochem.
spectroscopy. Ind. Eng. Chem. Anal. Ed. Biophys. 97:520-528.
16:556- 557. PORTER, J. WV., AND II. E. LINCOIN. 1950. I. Lyco-
ISIER, 0., W. (ClTEX, It. RiUEGG, G. IRYSER, G. persicon selections containiing a. high content
SAU-CY, tj. SCHWIETER, MI. WAiJTER, AND A. of carotene and colorless polvenes. II. Thu
WINTERSTEIN. 1959. Synthesen in der Caro- mechanism of carotene biosvynthesis. Arch.
tinoid-Beihe. Carotinoide vom Typus des Biochem. Biophys. 27:390-403.
Torularhodins. Helv. Chim. Acta 42:864-871. IIABOURN, W. J., ANI) F. W. Ql-.U(AKENBI-5H. 1953.
JENSEN, S. L., GA. COHEN-BAVZIRE, T. 0. M. XNAKA- The occurrence (f phytoene in various planit
YAMA, AND R. Y. STANIER. 1958. The path of materials. Arch. Biochiem. Bioplivs. 44:159-
carotenoid synthesis in a photosynthetic 164.
bacterium. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 29:477-498. REYES, P. 1963. The inifluenice (of beta-iononie on)
JENSEN, S. L., (G. COHEN-BAZIRE, AND It. Y. carotel()id anid ergosterol biosynfthesis: its
STANIER. 1961. Biosynthesis of carotenoids in mechanism and metabolic site of aetion. Ph.).
purple bacteria: a re-evaluation based on Thesis. Uiniversitv of California, I)avis, Cal-
considerations of chemical structure. Nature ifornia.
192:1168-1172. RirEG(;, U. SCHWNIETERt, (G. IRYSER, P. SCHUDEL,
KARRER, P., AND E. JUCKER. 1950. The carot- AND 0. ISLER. 19(ila. Synthesen in der Caro-
enoids. Elsevier Publishing Co., Inc., New tiinoid-Iteihie. -y-Carotini sowie d, 1-a-und (3-