A phylogenetic analysis of the sugar porters in hemiascomycetous yeasts

A total of 214 members of the sugar porter (SP) family (TC 2.A.1.1) from eight hemiascomycetous yeasts: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida glabrata, Kluyveromyces lactis, Ashbya (Eremothecium) gossypii, Debaryomyces hansenii, Yarrowia lipolytica, Candida albicans and Pichia stipitis, were identified. The yeast SPs were classified in 13 different phylogenetic clusters. Specific sugar substrates could be allocated to nine phylogenetic clusters, including two novel TC clusters that are specific to fungi, i.e. the glycerol:H(+) symporter (2.A.1.1.38) and the high-affinity glucose transporter (2.A.1.1.39). Four phylogenetic clusters are identified by the preliminary fifth number Z23, Z24, Z25 and Z26 and the substrates of their members remain undetermined. The amplification of the SP clusters across the Hemiascomycetes reflects adaptation to specific carbon and energy sources available in the habitat of each yeast species.