Glucose-induced crypticity toward succinate metabolism in Saccharomyces lactis

Abstract

Saccharomyces lactis grown on glucose adapted very slowly to growth on succinate. This initial inability of glucose-grown cells to grow on succinate was paralleled by their inability to oxidize succinate. The possibility that repression by glucose of respiratory chain components was responsible for these observations was examined. Glucose-grown cells were able to respire glucose, ethyl alcohol, and lactate and were able to initiate growth on ethyl alcohol as rapidly as succinate-grown cells. Respiratory enzyme levels were essentially the same in cells grown on succinate or on glucose. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that glucose-grown cells possessed a full complement of cytochrome bands. Since by these criteria glucose-grown S. lactis appears to possess a competent respiratory system, the penetration of succinate-2,3-(14)C into succinate- and glucose-grown cells was examined directly. Glucose-grown cells exhibited a strong permeability barrier to succinate. Comparison of glucose oxidation by S. lactis and by S. cerevisiae suggests that the crypticity to succinate does not depend upon a strong Crabtree effect in S. lactis.