[A flavinogenic mutant of the yeast Pichia guilliermondii with impaired iron transport].

A mutant of the yeast Pichia guilliermondii was produced by means of UV; the mutant was capable of riboflavin overproduction in the presence of high concentrations of iron in the medium. The content of total and non-hemin iron and cytochrome c, and the activity of catalase, were lower in the cells of the mutant than in the parent cells, while the activity of riboflavin synthetase was higher. The content of iron in the cells increased when the mutant was cultivated on media with citric acid, siderochromes of Klebsiella aerogenes, Neurospora crassa, Rhodotorula glutinis, cultural broth of Pichia ohmeri, and autolysate of brewer's yeast, whereas the flavinogenous activity of the cells decreased. Rotenone inhibited respiration of the intact cells of the mutant producing elevated amounts of riboflavin; therefore, flavinogenesis was not regulated by non-hemin iron on the first segment of the respiratory chain. Overproduction of riboflavin in the mutant of Pichia guilliermondii was proved to be a recessive property.