The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248

<i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> is already known for its great biotechnological potential, part of this due to the ability to assimilate nitrate during fermentation. Despite the previous works on nitrogen metabolism in this yeast, especially regarding nitrate assimilation, the relation betwe...

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Main Authors: Karolini Miranda, Beatriz Câmara de Melo, Gilberto Henriques Teles, Irina Charlot Peña-Moreno, Rafael Barros de Souza, Marcos Antonio de Morais
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Microbiology Research
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/7/143
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author Karolini Miranda
Beatriz Câmara de Melo
Gilberto Henriques Teles
Irina Charlot Peña-Moreno
Rafael Barros de Souza
Marcos Antonio de Morais
author_facet Karolini Miranda
Beatriz Câmara de Melo
Gilberto Henriques Teles
Irina Charlot Peña-Moreno
Rafael Barros de Souza
Marcos Antonio de Morais
author_sort Karolini Miranda
collection DOAJ
description <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> is already known for its great biotechnological potential, part of this due to the ability to assimilate nitrate during fermentation. Despite the previous works on nitrogen metabolism in this yeast, especially regarding nitrate assimilation, the relation between this metabolism and the TOR (Target of Rapamycin) regulatory mechanism remains unexplored. This connection may reveal key regulatory mechanisms to maximize its fermentative performance and biotechnological use. Herein, we evaluated the physiological, metabolic, and gene expression profile of <i>D. bruxellensis</i> GDB 248 cultivated in ammonium and nitrate as nitrogen sources in the presence of TOR complex 1 (TORC1) inhibitor rapamycin. Our results showed that inhibition of the TORC1 significantly reduces cell growth and fermentative capacity, especially in nitrate media. Gene expression analysis revealed that TORC1 plays a central role in regulating genes involved in nitrate assimilation and the adaptive performance of <i>D. bruxellensis</i> in fermentative environments. Therefore, the regulation of nitrate assimilatory genes <i>YNTI</i>, <i>YNRI</i>, and <i>YNI1</i> responds to a nitrate-dependent mechanism as well as to a TOR-dependent mechanism. These findings expand the understanding of the regulation of nitrogen metabolism in <i>D. bruxellensis</i>, providing valuable information that may aid in the development of future strategies for its use as an industrial yeast.
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spelling doaj-art-fa0fd14c5a174dae9ba7b3cf31076e902025-08-20T03:36:18ZengMDPI AGMicrobiology Research2036-74812025-07-0116714310.3390/microbiolres16070143The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248Karolini Miranda0Beatriz Câmara de Melo1Gilberto Henriques Teles2Irina Charlot Peña-Moreno3Rafael Barros de Souza4Marcos Antonio de Morais5Laboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, BrazilLaboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, BrazilLaboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, BrazilLaboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, BrazilLaboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Pernambuco, Recife 50100-130, PE, BrazilLaboratory of Microbial Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901, PE, Brazil<i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> is already known for its great biotechnological potential, part of this due to the ability to assimilate nitrate during fermentation. Despite the previous works on nitrogen metabolism in this yeast, especially regarding nitrate assimilation, the relation between this metabolism and the TOR (Target of Rapamycin) regulatory mechanism remains unexplored. This connection may reveal key regulatory mechanisms to maximize its fermentative performance and biotechnological use. Herein, we evaluated the physiological, metabolic, and gene expression profile of <i>D. bruxellensis</i> GDB 248 cultivated in ammonium and nitrate as nitrogen sources in the presence of TOR complex 1 (TORC1) inhibitor rapamycin. Our results showed that inhibition of the TORC1 significantly reduces cell growth and fermentative capacity, especially in nitrate media. Gene expression analysis revealed that TORC1 plays a central role in regulating genes involved in nitrate assimilation and the adaptive performance of <i>D. bruxellensis</i> in fermentative environments. Therefore, the regulation of nitrate assimilatory genes <i>YNTI</i>, <i>YNRI</i>, and <i>YNI1</i> responds to a nitrate-dependent mechanism as well as to a TOR-dependent mechanism. These findings expand the understanding of the regulation of nitrogen metabolism in <i>D. bruxellensis</i>, providing valuable information that may aid in the development of future strategies for its use as an industrial yeast.https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/7/143ammoniumcarbon balancecentral metabolismethanol yieldgene regulationnitrate
spellingShingle Karolini Miranda
Beatriz Câmara de Melo
Gilberto Henriques Teles
Irina Charlot Peña-Moreno
Rafael Barros de Souza
Marcos Antonio de Morais
The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
Microbiology Research
ammonium
carbon balance
central metabolism
ethanol yield
gene regulation
nitrate
title The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
title_full The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
title_fullStr The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
title_full_unstemmed The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
title_short The TOR Regulatory Mechanism Controls the Metabolism of Nitrate and the Fermentation Activity in the Yeast <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i> GDB 248
title_sort tor regulatory mechanism controls the metabolism of nitrate and the fermentation activity in the yeast i dekkera bruxellensis i gdb 248
topic ammonium
carbon balance
central metabolism
ethanol yield
gene regulation
nitrate
url https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7481/16/7/143
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