Phospholipid Deacylating Activities Included in Yeast

Abstract

  Yeast had been known to contain only one kind of phospholipid deacylating enzyme with an optimal pH in the acidic range. However, among 8 genera and 25 strains, 7 genera and 13 strains had phospholipid deacylating activity at pH 8.0, when screening of enzyme activity was done with micellar and liposomal substrates. The enzymatic properties of phospholipid deacylating enzyme existing in yeast was not related to genetic identity based on 18S rRNA gene sequence. The results suggest that yeast contains enzymes showing a variety of properties depending on the species of yeast, and further studies on this enzyme with more varieties of yeasts are necessary for understanding the physiological roles of the enzyme in yeast.