Author(s)

Naoto Urano^1*, Ayaka Shirao¹, Yuka Naito¹, Masahiko Okai¹, Masami Ishida¹, Masachika Takashio²

¹Department of Ocean Sciences, Laboratory of Marine Biochemistry, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
²Zensho Laboratories of Food Technology, Zensho Holdings Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

In this study, yeasts with broad range of pH tolerance were isolated and characterized from natural aquatic environments in Japan. Only a few basic and application studies of alkali-tolerant yeasts have been reported, despite the unmet industrial needs. First, we surveyed alkali-tolerant yeasts from natural aquatic environments at pH 7.6 - 9.4. We isolated 35 yeast strains that grew in pH 9.0 medium, from seven genera and nine species: 25 strains (N1, N2, through N6, N9, K1, K3 through K19) were Rhodotorula mucilaginosa; one (N7) was Rhodosporidium fluvial; one (N8) was Scheffersomyces spartinae; two (N10 and N13) were Wicherhamonyces anomalus; one (N11) was Cyberlindnera saturnus; one (S1) was Candida sp.; two (S2 and S4) were Candida intermedia; one (S3) was Candida quercuum; and one (K2) was Cryptococcus liquefacience. We examined the effects of pH on the growth of representative yeast strains. Strains K12 and S4 showed high growth at pH 3 - 10. Strains N7, N8, N10, N11, and S3 showed high growth at pH 3 - 9. Strains K2 and S1 showed high growth at pH 4 - 8. All nine of these strains had neutralizing activities from acidic media at pH 3 - 5 to pH 6 - 8. We previously isolated acid-tolerant yeasts (Cryptococcus sp. T1 [1] and Candida intermedia CeA16 [2]) from extremely acidified environments; they showed high growth at pH 3 - 9 and neutralizing activities of acidic media by releasing ammonium ions. Thus, alkali-tolerant yeasts and acid-tolerant yeasts were found to be similar species and have both high growth at a broad range of pH and neutralizing activities of acid media. Previously, we also isolated acid-tolerant, acid-neutralizing yeasts from neutral natural environments (26 strains, 12 species) [3]. Next, we constructed the phylogenetic trees of both acid-tolerant yeasts and alkali-tolerant yeasts. All were situated in the same classification position. Similar yeast species with a broad range of pH tolerance were living in natural aquatic environments at pH values from alkali to acid.

pH Tolerance, Yeast Species, Aquatic Environment, Phylogenetic Tree, Fermentation

Urano, N. , Shirao, A. , Naito, Y. , Okai, M. , Ishida, M. and Takashio, M. (2019) Molecular Phylogeny and Phenotypic Characterization of Yeasts with a Broad Range of pH Tolerance Isolated from Natural Aquatic Environments. Advances in Microbiology, 9, 56-73. doi: 10.4236/aim.2019.91005.