Effect of selenium on lipid alternations in pigment-forming yeasts

The work deals with lipid modifications of pigment-forming yeasts Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces growing under presence of selenium. This metal in the medium significantly prolonged lag-phase of all cultures and enlarged yeast cells. Total, neutral, and membrane yeast lipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol) consisted of predominantly palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. Selenium activated fatty acid unsaturation mainly in phosphatidylcholine due to elevated levels of linoleic and linolenic acids. Because biosynthesis of C18 unsaturated fatty acids in Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces species may be associated with phosphatidylcholine moieties, selenium might be involved to the induction of membranebound fatty acid Delta(12) and Delta(15) desaturases in red yeasts. Oppositely, neutral lipids (primarily triacylglycerols) did not show such intensive changes in fatty acid composition as their polar counterparts. These observations could be applied for preparation of selenized red yeasts containing carotenoid pigments with enhanced accumulation of linoleic and linolenic acids.