ASSIMILATION OF LEVOGLUCOSAN (1,6-ANHYDRO-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSE) BY SEVERAL YEASTS

The utilization of levoglucosan (1,6-anhydro-beta-D-glucopyranose) by several yeasts was studied. The assimilability of levoglucosan in all of the yeasts capable of utilizing levoglucosan as a sole carbon source was shown to be inducible, but it was so high as to be comparable to that of glucose in Cryptococcus albidus IFO-0378. The effects of metabolic inhibitors on the levoglucosan-consumption and C-14-tracing experiments of the intracellular metabolites showed that the metabolic pathway was very similar to that of glucose, though the general beta-glucosidases seemed not to take part in the levoglucosan assimilation. These data showed that levoglucosan would be introduced into the general glycolytic pathway from the initial stage of its assimilation in these cells.