Synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 and β-carotene by Yeasts Isolated from Antarctic Soil and Lichen in Response to Ultraviolet and Visible Radiations

The effect of different doses of visible (Vis), ultraviolet-А (UVA), and mixed light (UVA + Vis) upon coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and β-carotene synthesis and biomass yield by the Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AL1, Cryptococcus albidus AS55, Cryptococcus laurentii AS56, and C. laurentii AS58 strains isolated from Antarctic samples was investigated. The β-carotene concentration in the red strain biomass increased by 52% under irradiation with 11 J/cm2 Vis, and the CoQ10 concentration rose by 37% in relation to the control quantity obtained through dark cultivation. Under irradiation with 6 J/cm2 UVA, the S. salmonicolor AL1 strain synthesized 15% more β-carotene; C. albidus AS55, 22%; C. laurentii AS56, 44%; and C. laurentii AS58, 35% in relation to the control quantity. Irradiation with a low UVА + Vis dose significantly stimulated β-carotene biosynthesis by the strains of the Cryptococcus genus (87%, 138%, and 100%), whereas S. salmonicolor AL1 increased the β-carotene content to a smaller degree (55%). Higher doses of all three irradiation types inhibited β-carotene accumulation. Vis suppressed CoQ10 biosynthesis in the Cryptococcus strains, whereas UVА and UVА + Vis inhibited it in all four strains. The S. salmonicolor AL1 strain pre-treated with 0.02 J/cm2 UVA synthesized twice as much CoQ10 and β-carotene when cultivated in the presence of Vis light in an 11-J/cm2 dose.