On the potential of mass spectrometry-based metabolite profiling approaches to the study of biochemical adaptation in psychrophilic yeast

Extremophiles. 2013 Nov;17(6):953-61. doi: 10.1007/s00792-013-0577-x. Epub 2013 Aug 30.

Abstract

To move beyond targeted approaches to the biochemical characterization of psychrophilic yeast and provide a more holistic understanding of the chemistry of physiological adaptation of psychrophiles at the molecular level, ultraperformance liquid chromatography combined with simultaneous acquisition of low- and high-collision energy mass spectra (UPLC/MS(e)) was employed for a preliminary comparative analysis of cell extracts of psychrophilic Antarctic yeasts Cryptococcus vishniacii CBS 10616 and Dioszegia cryoxerica CBS 10919 versus the mesophile Saccharomyces cerevisiae 'cry havoc'. A detailed workflow for providing high-confidence preliminary identifications of psychrophilic yeast-specific molecular features is presented. Preliminary identifications of psychrophile-specific features in C. vishniacii and D. cryoxerica determined with the described method include the glycerophospholipids lysophosphatidylcholine 18:2, lysophosphatidylcholine 18:3, lysophosphatidylethanolamine 18:3, and lysophosphatidylethanolamine 18:2. In addition, levels of guanosine diphosphate appear significantly elevated in cell extracts of the psychrophilic yeasts as compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Finally, five psychrophilic yeast-specific peptides have been discovered. All of these are demonstrated to be glycine- and/or proline-rich, a known structural characteristic of many naturally occurring bioactive peptides. The potential of this untargeted metabolite profiling approach as a tool for knowledge discovery and hypothesis generation in the study of biodiversity and microbial adaptation is highlighted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Basidiomycota / metabolism*
  • Cold Temperature
  • Cryptococcus / metabolism*
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • Lysophospholipids / metabolism
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Metabolome*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins
  • Lysophospholipids