Preparation of Protoplasts of Hydrocarbon-utilizing Yeast Cells and Their Respiratory Activities

Abstract

Protoplasts of several strains of Candida yeasts grown on glucose and on n-alkane were prepared effectively by use of the lytic enzyme of Arthrobacter luteus. Protoplasts prepared from Candida albicans, C. guilliermondii, C. intermedia and C. tropicalis could oxidize glucose, but showed very low respiratory activities for n-alkane. However, addition of an appropriate non-ionic detergent restored greatly the activities. Protoplasts from C. lipolytica could hardly oxidize both glucose and n-alkane, and the activity was not recovered by the detergent effective for the above four strains.