198 Abstracts / Prostaglandins & other Lipid Mediators 59 (1999) 1-235

THE PRODUCTION OF 3-HYDROXY FATTY ACIDS BY YEAST

Pierre Venter*, Johan L.F. Koek’, Dennis J. Coetzee’, Piet J. Botes’ and Santosh Nigamz

‘Dept. Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Orange Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa. 2Eicosanoid Research Division, Dept. of Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Benjamin Franklin, Free University Berlin, D-12200, Berlin, Ger- many.

When polyunsaturated fatty acids with double bonds at position C5 i.e. 20:3 (5,8,1 l), 20:4 (5,8,11,14) and 205 (5,8,11,14,17) were fed to Dipoduscopsis uninucleatu UOFS Y128,3- hydroxy C20 fatty acids were produced. NO 3-hydroxy fatty acids were observed when octadecatrienoic- [18:3 (6,9,12)], eicosanoic- (20:0) or C22 polyunsaturated fatty acids were fed to this yeast. The latter were toxic, while 18:3 and 20:0 were almost completely utilised. These results are suggestive of a “leaky” B-oxidation pathway for polyunsaturated fatty acids. In addition, a novel3-hydroxy fatty acid cascade has also been uncovered in the yeast Sczcchuromy- ces cerevisiae. In this case only saturated 3-hydroxy fatty acids were found and include 3- hydroxy 8:0, 3-hydroxy lO:O, 3-hydroxy12:0,3-hydroxy 12:1,3-hydroxy 14:0 and 3ihydroxy 16: 1. These oxylipins are implicated in yeast aggregation.