Lipid metabolism in inositol-deficient yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. The influence of temperature and anaerobiosis on the cellular lipid composition.

Saccharomyces carlsbergensis ATCC 9080 was grown at temperatures of 9, 25, 30 and 35 degrees C, respectively. At all temperatures inositol-deficient cells contain less phosphatidylinositol than supplemented cells. Total acylglycerols increase in supplemented cells as the temperature decreases whereas in deficient cells total acylglycerols are higher at 35 degrees C than at 9 degrees C. Temperature has little influence on the fatty acid composition of the supplemented as well as on that of the deficient cells. Under anaerobic growth conditions two major effects of inositol deficiency observed under aerobic conditions, i.e. accumulation of cellular triacylglycerols and increased production of acetoin, do not occur. Other effects of inositol deficiency, such as increased glucose utilization, increase of ethanol production, decrease of phosphatidylinositol and aggregation of cells, are observed under anaerobic conditions as well as under aerobic conditions.