Production of ribonucleotides by autolysis of Pichia anomala mutant and some physiological activities

Various mutants of Pichia anomala were isolated by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) treatment and UV irradiation through cycloheximide resistance and KCl sensitivity. The selected mutant HA-2 accumulated a higher content of RNA and grew faster than the wild-type strain in yeast extract–malt (YM) broth. Autolysis of the HA-2 mutant at 60 °C and pH 7.0 for 6 h was the best condition to obtain maximum yields of 5′-ribonucleotides, inosinic monophosphate (IMP) (6.2 mg/g biomass) and guanylic monophosphate (GMP) (35.5 mg/g biomass). The yield of adenylic monophosphate (AMP) (7.8 mg/g biomass) was optimal at 60 °C at pH 6.5 for 6 h. The inhibitory activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme and the nitrite-scavenging activity for autolysates of the HA-2 mutant were about 13.0% and 47.0% higher than those of native strain, respectively.Key words: Pichia anomala mutant, 5′-ribonucleotides, adenylic monophosphate (AMP), guanylic monophosphate (GMP), inosinic monophosphate (IMP), autolysate.