PHOSPHOLIPID DEACYLATING ACTIVITIES INCLUDED IN YEAST

Yeast had been known to contain only one kind of phospholipid deacylat ing enzyme with an optimal pH in the acidic range. However, among 8 ge nera and 25 strains, 7 genera and 13 strains had phospholipid deacylat ing activity at pH 8.0, when screening of enzyme activity was done wit h micellar and liposomal substrates. The enzymatic properties of phosp holipid deacylating enzyme existing in yeast was not related to geneti c identity based on 18S rRNA gene sequence. The results suggest that y east contains enzymes showing a variety of properties depending on the species of yeast, and further studies on this enzyme with more variet ies of yeasts are necessary for understanding the physiological roles of the enzyme in yeast.