Metabolomic Evaluation of the Central Metabolic Pathways of Mannosylerythritol Lipid Biosynthesis in Moesziomyces antarcticus T-34.

Moesziomyces antarcticus is a basidiomycetous yeast that produces mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), which have potential applications as bio-based functional materials in various oleochemical industries, the cosmetics, toiletry, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries. To better understand the MEL producer, we characterized the central metabolic pathways of M. antarcticus strain T-34 grown on glucose or olive oil via metabolomics. The relative fatty acid content was higher in the cells cultured in olive oil compared to glucose, while the acetyl-CoA content was lower in cells cultured in olive oil. The levels of the tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites citrate/isocitrate, α-ketoglutarate, and succinate were lower in olive oil compared to glucose, while fumarate and malate levels exhibited the opposite pattern. Pyruvate was not detected in olive oil compared to glucose culture. The levels of glycerol, as well as trehalose, myo-inositol, threitol/erythritol, and mannitol/sorbitol, were higher in olive oil compared to glucose cultures. The ATP level was lower in olive oil compared to glucose culture, although the assimilation of fatty acids produced by digestion of olive oil should promote large amounts of ATP production. The possibility that ATP regeneration by respiratory chain complex promote oil utilization and MEL production in M. antarcticus T-34 was found based on the results of this metabolomic analysis.