AUTHOR=Perpetuini Giorgia , Tittarelli Fabrizia , Suzzi Giovanna , Tofalo Rosanna 

TITLE=Cell Wall Surface Properties of Kluyveromyces marxianus Strains From Dairy-Products

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00079

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00079

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Thirty-three <italic>Kluyveromyces marxianus</italic> strains were tested for the ability to form biofilm and mat structures in YPD and whey and for cell surface hydrophobicity. To identify genes potentially involved in adhesion properties, a RT-qPCR analysis was performed. Eight strains were able to adhere on polystyrene plates in both media and formed a mature mat structure. These strains showed a different level of hydrophobicity ranging from 55 to 66% in YPD and from 69 to 81% in whey. Four <italic>K. marxianus</italic> orthologs genes (<italic>FLO11</italic>, <italic>STE12</italic>, <italic>TPK3</italic>, and <italic>WSC4</italic>), known from studies in other yeast to be involved in biofilm formation, have been studied. <italic>FLO11</italic> and <italic>STE12</italic> showed the highest fold changes in all conditions tested and especially in whey: 15.05 and 11.21, respectively. <italic>TPK3</italic> was upregulated only in a strain, and <italic>WSC4</italic> in 3 strains. In YPD, fold changes were lower than in whey with <italic>STE12</italic> and <italic>FLO11</italic> genes showing the highest fold changes. In mat structures <italic>FLO11</italic> and <italic>STE12</italic> fold changes ranged from 3.6–1.3 to 2–1.17, respectively. Further studies are necessary to better understand the role of these genes in <italic>K. marxianus</italic> adhesion ability.</p>