Regulation of the level of yeasts citrate synthase by oxygen availability.

The activity of yeasts citrate synthase in cells grown under different hypoxic conditions has been investigated. A linear relationship between the citrate synthase activity and the respiratory capacity of the cells has been found. When Saccharomyces cerevisiae was grown on fermentable substrates the activity decreased as the concentration of sugars in the medium increased. The enzyme of the yeast Rhodoturula showed a high activity in spite of the existence of high sugar concentration in the culture medium. Neither feed-back repression by glutamate nor feed-forward induction by ammonia has been found in bakers' yeast. The results suggest that the regulation of the enzyme by oxygen availability takes place by the ""de novo'' synthesis of the enzyme.