Evaluation of Pyrophosphate-Driven Proton Pumps in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> under Stress Conditions

oleh: Krishnan Sreenivas, Leon Eisentraut, Daniel P. Brink, Viktor C. Persson, Magnus Carlquist, Marie F. Gorwa-Grauslund, Ed W. J. van Niel

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-03-01

Deskripsi

In <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, pH homeostasis is reliant on ATP due to the use of proton-translocating ATPase (H<sup>+</sup>-ATPase) which constitutes a major drain within cellular ATP supply. Here, an exogenous proton-translocating pyrophosphatase (H<sup>+</sup>-PPase) from <i>Arabidopsis thaliana,</i> which uses inorganic pyrophosphate (PP<sub>i</sub>) rather than ATP, was evaluated for its effect on reducing the ATP burden. The H<sup>+</sup>-Ppase was localized to the vacuolar membrane or to the cell membrane, and their impact was studied under acetate stress at a low pH. Biosensors (pHluorin and mQueen-2m) were used to observe changes in intracellular pH (pH<sub>i</sub>) and ATP levels during growth on either glucose or xylose. A significant improvement of 35% in the growth rate at a pH of 3.7 and 6 g·L<sup>−1</sup> acetic acid stress was observed in the vacuolar membrane H<sup>+</sup>-PPase strain compared to the parent strain. ATP levels were elevated in the same strain during anaerobic glucose and xylose fermentations. During anaerobic xylose fermentations, co-expression of pHluorin and a vacuolar membrane H<sup>+</sup>-PPase improved the growth characteristics by means of an improved growth rate (11.4%) and elongated logarithmic growth duration. Our study identified a potential method for improving productivity in the use of <i>S. cerevisiae</i> as a cell factory under the harsh conditions present in industry.