SOME ASPECTS OF THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE YEAST PLASMA MEMBRANE

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Abstract
The permeation of many compounds into the yeast cell is largely regulated by the plasma membrane according to their lipid solubility and degree of dissociation. Thus the permeation rate of the fatty acids and α-keto acids is proportional to their relative lipid solubility. The highly dissociated and poorly lipid-soluble di- and tri-carboxylic acids and halogenated acetic acids permeate only very slowly; the impermeable α-ketoglutaric acid becomes easily permeable when made lipid-soluble by esterification. The lipid composition of the plasma membrane can thus be of decisive importance in regulating the movement of different compounds into and out of the yeast cell. Lipid analyses revealed that anaerobiosis clearly affected the neutral lipid composition of the plasma membrane. The aerobic membrane contained more unsaturated fatty acids, mainly palmitoleic and oleic acids, more total sterol, much more ergosterol and much less squalene. The principal sterol in the aerobic membrane, ergosterol, was mainly in the free form, whereas zymosterol and other minor sterols were predominantly esterified. In contrast, the anaerobic membrane contained small amounts of biosynthetic sterol precursors of ergosterol, and was clearly richer in saturated fatty acids having a greater variation in chain length. Both plasma membranes contained a considerable amount of triacylglycerols.

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