This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J.-K.
Right arrow Articles by Kim, S.-Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J.-K.
Right arrow Articles by Kim, S.-Y.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Lee, J.-K.
Right arrow Articles by Kim, S.-Y.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2003, p. 3427-3434, Vol. 69, No. 6
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.6.3427-3434.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

1,8-Dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-Melanin Biosynthesis Inhibitors Increase Erythritol Production in Torula corallina, and DHN-Melanin Inhibits Erythrose Reductase

Jung-Kul Lee,1* Hyung-Moo Jung,2 and Sang-Yong Kim3

BioNgene Co., Ltd., Chongro-Ku, Seoul 110-521,1 Department of Food Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 441-744,2 Bolak Co., Ltd., Kyongki-Do 445-930, Korea3

Received 3 December 2002/ Accepted 14 March 2003

The yeast Torula corallina is a strong erythritol producer that is used in the industrial production of erythritol. However, melanin accumulation during culture represents a serious problem for the purification of erythritol from the fermentation broth. Melanin biosynthesis inhibitors such as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin inhibitors were added to the T. corallina cultures. Only the DHN-melanin inhibitors showed an effect on melanin production, which suggests that the melanin formed during the culturing of T. corallina is derived from DHN. This finding was confirmed by the detection of a shunt product of the pentaketide pathway, flaviolin, and elemental analysis. Among the DHN-melanin inhibitors, tricyclazole was the most effective. Supplementation with tricyclazole enhanced the production of erythritol while significantly inhibiting the production of DHN-melanin and DHN-melanin biosynthetic enzymes, such as trihydroxynaphthalene reductase. The erythrose reductase from T. corallina was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. Purified erythrose reductase was significantly inhibited in vitro in a noncompetitive manner by elevated levels of DHN-melanin. In contrast, the level of erythrose reductase activity was unaffected by increasing concentrations of tricyclazole. These results suggest that supplemental tricyclazole reduces the production of DHN-melanin, which may lead to a reduction in the inhibition of erythrose reductase and a higher yield of erythritol. This is the first report to demonstrate that melanin biosynthesis inhibitors increase the production of a sugar alcohol in T. corallina.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: BioNgene Co., Ltd., 10-1, 1Ka Myungryun-Dong Chongro-Ku, Seoul 110-521, Korea. Phone: 82 2 747 0700. Fax: 82 2 747 0750. E-mail: jkrhee{at}biongene.com.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2003, p. 3427-3434, Vol. 69, No. 6
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.6.3427-3434.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»