Ureohydrolases as dominant selectable markers in yeast

The invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a novel selection marker. Said marker is a guanidinobutyrase from Kluyveromyces lactis, which, when expressed in Saccharomyces, allows the growth of the yeast in the presence of guanidinobutyrate as the sole nitrogen source. Said marker can be used in a method for producing a...

An alternative, arginase-independent pathway for arginine metabolism in Kluyveromyces lactis involves guanidinobutyrase as a key enzyme

Most available knowledge on fungal arginine metabolism is derived from studies on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which arginine catabolism is initiated by releasing urea via the arginase reaction. Orthologues of the S. cerevisiae genes encoding the first three enzymes in the arginase pathway were cloned from Kluyveromyces lactis and shown to...

Substrate Specificity of Thiamine Pyrophosphate-Dependent 2-Oxo-Acid Decarboxylases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Fusel alcohols are precursors and contributors to flavor and aroma compounds in fermented beverages, and some are under investigation as biofuels. The decarboxylation of 2-oxo acids is a key step in the Ehrlich pathway for fusel alcohol production. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, five genes share sequence similarity with genes encoding thiamine...

Resolving Phenylalanine Metabolism Sheds Light on Natural Synthesis of Penicillin G in Penicillium chrysogenum

The industrial production of penicillin G by Penicillium chrysogenum requires the supplementation of the growth medium with the side chain precursor phenylacetate. The growth of P. chrysogenum with phenylalanine as the sole nitrogen source resulted in the extracellular production of phenylacetate and penicillin G. To analyze this natural pathway...