Peroxisomal Localization of Enzymes Related to Fatty Acid β-Oxidation in an n-Alkane-grown Yeast, Candida tropicalis

Abstract

In Candida tropicalis cells grown on n-alkanes (C₁₀-C₁₃), the levels of the activities of the enzymes related to fatty acid β-oxidation-acyl-CoA oxidase, enoyl-CoA hydratase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase-were found to be higher than those in cells grown on glucose, indicating that these enzymes were induced by alkanes. The enzymes were first confirmed to be localized only in peroxisomes, while none of these enzymes nor acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, which is known to participate in the initial step of mitochondrial β-oxidation in mammalian cells, were detected in yeast mitochondria under the conditions employed.
The significance of the peroxisomal β-oxidation system in the metabolism of alkanes by the yeast was also discussed.