PEROXISOME PROLIFERATORS ACTIVATE CYTOCHROME-P450 GENES IN AN ALKANE-ASSIMILATING YEAST, CANDIDA-MALTOSA

Candida maltosa can assimilate n-alkane as a sole carbon source and cy tochromes P450ALK (P450ALK) are critical for the first oxidation step. Four major P450ALKs that are encoded by genes ALK1, ALK2, ALK3 and AL K5 are induced by n-alkane and repressed by glucose at the transcripti onal level. In the present work, we found that all these four genes bu t ALK5 are transcriptionally activated in response to a peroxisome pro liferator, clofibrate. This is the first report on the peroxisome prol iferator responsive gene expression in lower eucaryotes. (C) 1996 Acad emic Press, Inc.