Effects of N224 glycosylation in Saccharomycopsis fibuligera R64 α-amylase on enzyme activity and stability

Background: The amino acid sequence of an α-amylase of the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera R64 (SfamyR64) contains the two putative N-linked glycosylation sites N153 and N224. N224 is hypothetically responsible for the binding of starch substrate because it is highly conserved among SfamyR64 homologs. Objective: To test whether N224 plays a key role in enzyme activity and stability. Methods: N224Q substitution was introduced by site-directed mutagenesis. The wild type and the mutant were independently over-produced in Pichia pastoris KM71. Activity of the wild type and of the mutant were compared, and their thermal-stability was assessed using heat treatments. The evolutionary relationship of SfamyR64 with its structural homologs with different glycosylation patterns was examined. Results: Activity of the N224Q mutant was approximately 80% lower than that of the wild type. The mutant showed no activity after 10 min of pre-incubation at 50 °C, whereas the wild type SfamyR64 showed activity until 30 min of treatment. Sfamy appeared to have evolved earlier than its structural homolog. Conclusion: SfamyR64 N224 is crucial for enzyme activity and thermal stability. This glycosylation site is unique for fungal and bacterial α-amylases.

pH Changes Have a Profound Effect on Gene Expression, Hydrolytic Enzyme Production, and Dimorphism in Saccharomycopsis fibuligera

Saccharomycopsis fibuligera is an amylolytic yeast that plays an important role within nuruk (a traditional Korean fermentation starter) used for the production of makgeolli (Korean rice wine), which is characterized by high acidity. However, the effect of pH change (neutral to acidic) on the yeast cell to hyphal transition and carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzyme activities for S. fibuligera has not been investigated yet. In this study, S. fibuligera strains were cultured under the different pH conditions, and the effect on the enzyme production and gene expression were investigated. An acidic pH induced a hyphal transition from yeast cell of S. fibuligera KPH12 and the hybrid strain KJJ81. In addition, both strains showed a gradual decrease in the ability to degrade starch and cellulose as the pH went down. Furthermore, a transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the pH decline caused global expression changes in genes, which were classified into five clusters. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under acidic pH, the downregulated genes were involved in protein synthesis, carbon metabolism, and RIM101 and cAMP-PKA signaling transduction pathways for the yeast-hyphal transition. A decrease in pH induced a dimorphic lifestyle switch from yeast cell formation to hyphal growth in S. fibuligera and caused a decrease in carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme production, as well as marked changes in the expression of genes related to enzyme production and pH adaptation. This study will help to elucidate the mechanism of adaptation of S. fibuligera to acidification that occur during the fermentation process of makgeolli using nuruk.