The yeast Starmerella bombicola very efficiently produces the secondary metabolites sophorolipids. Their biosynthesis is not-growth associated and highly upregulated in the stationary phase. Despite high industrial and academic interest, the underlying regulation of sophorolipid biosynthesis remains unknown. In this paper, potential regulation of sophorolipid biosynthesis through the telomere positioning effect was investigated, as the SL gene cluster is located adjacent to a telomere. Using a GFP reporter system we unraveled part of regulation of SL biosynthesis and showed that it is repressed in the exponential growth phase through a telomere positioning effect. However, other regulatory effects are most probably also at play, which are the subject of further and ongoing investigations at our lab.
Find out the details by reading our article in FEMS Yeast Research!
