Distribution, diversity and regulation of alcohol oxidase isozymes, and phylogenetic relationships of methylotrophic yeasts

In this study, we attempted to classify the methylotrophic yeasts based on diversities of alcohol oxidase (AOD), i.e. zymogram patterns and partial amino acid sequences. According to zymogram patterns for AOD, members of the methylotrophic yeasts separate into two major lineages, one group involving strains having a single AOD and the other group, including Pichia methanolica, Candida pignaliae and C. sonorensis, showing nine AOD isozymes. Based on partial amino acid sequences of AOD, the methylotrophic yeasts could be divided into five groups, and this classification agrees mostly with grouping based on 26S domain D1/D2 rDNA nucleotide sequences, except for some strains. Moreover, the strains having AOD isozymes constitute one group with P. trehalophila, P. glucozyma and Pichia sp. strain BZ159, although these strains are divided into two types, based on amino acid sequences of second AODs. On the other hand, these AOD isozymes consist of two subunits; the first subunits are induced not only by methanol but also by glycerol and pectin, although the second subunits are mainly induced by methanol. These data indicate that AOD isozymes and second AOD genes distribute widely in several methylotrophic yeasts in the natural environment, and second AOD genes may have evolved as methylotrophic genes that can adapt to the environmental conditions of higher methanol concentrations.