Effect of CLA on the cellular lipids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cultivated in the presence of free CLA that was either a pure trans‐10, cis‐12 isomer, a pure cis‐9, trans‐11 isomer, or a 1∶1 mixture of the two, and the influence of these supplementations on the content and FA composition of the lipids in the yeast was determined. Neither the pure isomers nor their 1∶1 mixture influenced the growth of the yeast, but the trans‐10, cis‐12 isomer reduced the amount of cellular lipids by 40%. The reduction in total cellular lipids by the trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA was due to a reduction in TAG. Both of the isomers were incorporated into the yeast lipids, reaching a proportion of about 33% in TAG. With the incorporation of CLA, the yeast reduced the amount and desaturation of endogenously synthesized FA. These clear and pronounced isomer‐specific effects of CLA on the yeast suggest that yeast might be a useful model to obtain a more comprehensive view of the mechanisms of the action of CLA on lipid metabolism.