Cloning and characterization of a NAD+-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene from Candida glycerinogenes, an industrial glycerol producer

The osmotolerant yeast Candida glycerinogenes produces glycerol as a major metabolite on an industrial scale, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We cloned and characterized a 4900-bp genomic fragment containing the CgGPD gene encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase homologous to GPD genes in other yeasts using degenerate primers in conjunction with inverse PCR. Sequence analysis revealed a 1167-bp open reading frame encoding a putative peptide of 388 deduced amino acids with a molecular mass of 42 695 Da. The CgGPD gene consisted of an N-terminal NAD(+)-binding domain and a central catalytic domain, whereas seven stress response elements were found in the upstream region. Functional analysis revealed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae gpd1 Delta and gpd1 Delta/gpd2 Delta osmosensitive mutants transformed with CgGPD were restored to the wild-type phenotype when cultured in high osmolarity media, suggesting that it is a functional GPD protein. Transformants also accumulated glycerol intracellularly and GPD-specific activity increased significantly when stressed with NaCl, whereas the S. cerevisiae mutants transformed with the empty plasmid showed only slight increases. The full-length CgGPD gene sequence including upstream and downstream regions has been deposited in GenBank under accession no. EU186536..