Mating in the alkane‐utilizing yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

Abstract Mating in Yarrowia lipolytica can be induced by mixing cells of both complementary mating types (A and B) in yeast extract‐malt‐medium. By means of an inbreeding programme, strains with significantly improved mating frequencies were selected. The main events of the mating process, that have been detected so far, by means of cytological methods, are: formation of mating tubes, cell contact, cell fusion and karyogamy. During the process of conjugation, mating tubes of different lengths as and shapes are formed between haploid parental cells. Under special conditions the preformation of mating tubes was observed. Mating in the dimorphic yeast Y. lipolytica has been shown to be a distant mating and to occur between cells of a different shape and size. Cells involved in conjugation are no changed morphologically, except for the formation of special copulation structures. Several events of mating and the morphology of zygotes are different than those in the case of baker's yeasts. It is supposed that there is in this yeast also an action of diffusible factors that trigger mating.