Work

The Mandelate Pathway, an Alternative to the Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase Pathway for the Synthesis of Benzenoids in Ascomycete Yeasts

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: We present here evidence of the existence of the mandelate pathway in yeast for the synthesis of benzenoids. The link between phenylpyruvate- and 4-hydroxyphenlypyruvate-derived compounds with the corresponding synthesis of benzaldehydes through benzoylformate decarboxylation is demonstrated. Hanseniaspora vineae was used in these studies because of its capacity to produce benzenoid derivatives at a level 2 orders of magnitude higher than that produced by Saccharomyces . Contrary to what was hypothesized, neither β-oxidation derivatives nor 4-coumaric acid is an intermediate in the synthesis of yeast benzenoids. Our results might offer an answer to the long-standing question of the origin of 4-hydroxybenzoate for the synthesis of Q10 in humans.

Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DOI: 10.1128/aem.00701-20