Abstract

Three yeast strains were isolated from decaying wood of Chilean Valdivian forest and identified as Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Scheffersomyces coipomensis, and Sugiyamaella paludigena. These strains were able to efficiently grow on the major monomers contained in Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. wood that includes glucose (Glc), xylose (Xyl), and mannose (Man), showing at 28 °C higher uptake rates for Man, and in some cases for Glc, than for Xyl, used as single carbon sources. Nevertheless, in cultures performed on sugar mixtures, the strains displayed a notable preference for Glc. Additionally, in sugar mixtures, the absence of regulatory mechanisms in sugar assimilation (e.g., catabolic repression) was observed and documented when the activities of several enzymes involved in sugar assimilation (i.e., phosphoglucose isomerase, phosphomannose isomerase, and xylulokinase) were determined. The activity of the key enzymes involved in the onset of lipid accumulation (i.e., NAD+-ICDH) and in fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis (i.e., ATP:CL) indicated a significant accumulation of storage lipids (i.e., up to 24%, w/w) containing oleic and palmitic acids as the major components. The present paper is the first report on the potential of M. guilliermondii, S. coipomensis, and S. paludigena as oleaginous yeasts. We conclude that the new isolates, being able to simultaneously assimilate the major lignocellulosic sugars and efficiently convert them into oily biomass, present a biotechnological potential which deserve further investigation.