Simultaneously enhanced intracellular lipogenesis and β-carotene biosynthesis of Rhodotorula glutinis by light exposure with sodium acetate as the substrate.

In this study, light exposure was applied to simultaneously enhance lipogenesis and β-carotene biosynthesis of Rhodotorula glutinis with sodium acetate as the sole carbon source. The results showed that cell growth, intracellular lipogenesis and carotene biosynthesis were improved with an optimal exposure condition at 10 g/L and 20 g/L sodium acetate. Under high light exposure condition (8000 lx), cell growth and lipid production were inhibited while β-carotene accumulation was promoted. The fatty acid compositions moreover revealed that more polyunsaturated fatty acids and linoleic acid were generated under light exposure, which demonstrated its crucial role in the oxidative stress resistance in R. glutinis. The expression levels of some genes in acetate consumption, lipogenesis and β-carotene biosynthesis were found significantly upregulated under light exposure. The results proved that light exposure could be applied as an effective method to improve lipid and β-carotene production with sodium acetate as the substrate in R. glutinis.