Orthologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SFH2, genes encoding Sec14 family proteins, implicated in utilization of n-alkanes and filamentous growth in response to n-alkanes in Yarrowia lipolytica.

The dimorphic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has an ability to assimilate n -alkanes as carbon and energy sources. In this study, the roles of orthologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC14 family gene SFH2 , which we named SFH21 , SFH22 , SFH23 and SFH24 , of Y. lipolytica were investigated. The transcript levels of SFH21 , SFH22 and SFH23 , determined by RNA-seq analysis, qRT-PCR analysis and northern blot analysis, were found to increase in the presence of n -alkanes. The deletion mutant of SFH21 , but not that of SFH22 , SFH23 or SFH24 , showed defects in growth in the media containing n -alkanes and in filamentous growth on the solid media containing n -alkanes. Additional deletions of SFH22 and SFH23 significantly exaggerated the defect in filamentous growth of the deletion mutant of SFH21 , and expression of SFH22 or SFH24 using the SFH21 promoter partially suppressed the growth defect of the deletion mutant of SFH21 on n -alkanes. These results suggest that SFH2 orthologs are involved in the utilization of n -alkanes and filamentous growth in response to n -alkanes in Y. lipolytica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]