UV irradiation promotes the accumulation of triglyceride in Lipomyces lipofer.

Yeasts of the genus Lipomyces are known as fat yeasts, and they store large amounts of lipids. Because the major lipid produced by Lipomyces is triglyceride, which can be used as a food and energy resource, the control of lipid production by Lipomyces sp. is an important issue. Here we report the effects of UV irradiation on lipid production in Lipomyces lipofer cells. UV irradiation (315-400 nm) led to a 4-fold increase in the amount of triglyceride per cell. We discovered a novel phenomenon, that UV irradiation promotes triglyceride accumulation in L. lipofer.