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Synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 and β-carotene by Yeasts Isolated from Antarctic Soil and Lichen in Response to Ultraviolet and Visible Radiations

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Abstract

The effect of different doses of visible (Vis), ultraviolet-А (UVA), and mixed light (UVA + Vis) upon coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and β-carotene synthesis and biomass yield by the Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AL1, Cryptococcus albidus AS55, Cryptococcus laurentii AS56, and C. laurentii AS58 strains isolated from Antarctic samples was investigated. The β-carotene concentration in the red strain biomass increased by 52% under irradiation with 11 J/cm2 Vis, and the CoQ10 concentration rose by 37% in relation to the control quantity obtained through dark cultivation. Under irradiation with 6 J/cm2 UVA, the S. salmonicolor AL1 strain synthesized 15% more β-carotene; C. albidus AS55, 22%; C. laurentii AS56, 44%; and C. laurentii AS58, 35% in relation to the control quantity. Irradiation with a low UVА + Vis dose significantly stimulated β-carotene biosynthesis by the strains of the Cryptococcus genus (87%, 138%, and 100%), whereas S. salmonicolor AL1 increased the β-carotene content to a smaller degree (55%). Higher doses of all three irradiation types inhibited β-carotene accumulation. Vis suppressed CoQ10 biosynthesis in the Cryptococcus strains, whereas UVА and UVА + Vis inhibited it in all four strains. The S. salmonicolor AL1 strain pre-treated with 0.02 J/cm2 UVA synthesized twice as much CoQ10 and β-carotene when cultivated in the presence of Vis light in an 11-J/cm2 dose.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by Grant B-1615 from the National Fund Scientific Investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical University, V. Aprilov Blvd 15A, Plovdiv, 4002, Bulgaria

    Stela Dimitrova & Ludmil Lukanov

  2. Department of Physics and Biophysics, Medical University, V. Aprilov Blvd 15A, Plovdiv, 4002, Bulgaria

    Plamen Zagorchev

  3. Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Maritsa Blvd 26, Plovdiv, 4000, Bulgaria

    Kostantsa Pavlova

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  1. Stela Dimitrova
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  2. Kostantsa Pavlova
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Correspondence to Stela Dimitrova.

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Dimitrova, S., Pavlova, K., Lukanov, L. et al. Synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 and β-carotene by Yeasts Isolated from Antarctic Soil and Lichen in Response to Ultraviolet and Visible Radiations. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 162, 795–804 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-009-8845-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-009-8845-z

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