The diploma thesis is focused on the influence of biological stress formed by co-cultivation of heterotrophic (yeasts) and autotrophic (microalgae and cyanobacteria) organisms on the production of enriched biomass. The monitored groups of substances include carotenoids (-carotene, lutein, lycopene, astaxanthin, torularhodin), chlorophylls A and B, ergosterol and ubiquinone. Further, production of lipids was analyzed in the terms of fatty acid profile and lipid content in biomass. In the first part of the work, the yeast biomass production was investigated using different nitrogen sources. Glycerol was used as a carbon source in all parts of the work. Subsequently, the co-cultivation of yeasts with microalgae and cyanobacteria took place in a multicultivator with gradual increase of selected macroelements – nitrogen, magnesium and phosphorus. The last part of the work was focused on the co-cultivation of yeasts and microalgae in a laboratory fermenter. The best effect on the production of total biomass was the increased magnesium content and high nitrogen content in the basic medium. The best concentrations of carotenoids were achieved due to the double nitrogen and phosphorus content together. Chlorophyll production was significantly lower compared to carotenoids.

This master thesis is focused on the molecular characterization of the eight red yeasts species. For molecular characterisation, the most variable rDNA regions ITS1, 5,8S ITS2 and the region encoding the large ribosomal subunit (26S) were amplified. This long region of the yeasts DNA was sequenced and compared by NCBI database for identification. The red yeasts identification was confirmed by data from DGGE method. Another aim of this thesis was to select the best yeasts producer of carotenoids and triacylglycerols. Rhodosporidium toruloides was found as the best producer and, thus, this strain was subjected to random mutagenesis by UV irradiation. The results of the production of metabolites by R. toruloides were compared with mutant strains, which were also adapted to the glycerol and waste whey substrates. The mutant strain G33 was found as the best producer of total carotenoids with a yield of 7.14 mg.g-1 of biomass. The highest production of ergosterol was demonstrated by the mutant strain Y34, the ergosterol yield was 47.72 mg.g-1 of biomass. The wild type of R. toruloides was able to produce the highest amount of both carotene (2.42 mg.g-1 of biomass) and TAG (76.32 mg.g-1 of biomass) on glucose medium.

This diploma thesis deals with valorization of waste animal fat using carotenogenic yeast and conversion to biomass enriched with valuable substances. These microorganisms have the ability to utilize various waste substrates and convert them into interesting products such as carotenoids, lipids, ergosterol and ubiquinone. Four strains of yeast (Rhodotorula glutinis, Cystofilobasidium macerans, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Sporidiobolus pararoseus) were used. The theoretical part is focused on characterization of yeasts, enzymes and lipases, produced metabolites, yeast and description of analytical methods. In the experimental part, cultures were performed at four C/N ratios on media with different carbon sources, which were glucose, glycerol, fat, fat with added emulsifier, enzymatically hydrolyzed fat and fat with enzyme addition. Biomass was determined gravimetrically for all samples. Carotenoids, ergosterol and ubiquinone were analyzed on an HPLC/PDA equipment. The intracellular lipid content was determined by GC/FID. The production of these substances was different in individual strains depending on the carbon source and the C/N ratio. Rhodotorula glutinis is the most suitable for producing biomass and carotenoids. The highest amounts of ergosterol and ubiquinone were produced by Cystofilobasidium macerans. Sporidiobolus pararoseus had the largest lipid content in biomass. This diploma thesis was elaborated within the international project "LipoFungi".

Lipases are enzymes catalyzing primarily the hydrolytic cleavage of triacylglycerol bonds. The production of lipolytic enzymes is known in many microorganisms, especially those who are able to utilize a fatty carbon substrate. Some genera of carotenogenic yeasts are characterized by this ability. Carotenogenic yeasts are characterized primarily by the formation of intracellular carotenoids, lipids and lipid-soluble substances. In addition to these metabolites, they may also produce some biosurfactants. This work deals with the production of extracellular lipolytic enzymes and biosurfactants by carotenogenic yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis, Cystofilobasidium macerans, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Sporidiobolus pararoseus cultivated mainly on animal waste fat at various C/N ratios (13, 25, 50, 100). Lipase activity was detected in all strains studied. Enzyme activities were measured by spectrophotometric method. Lipase induction has also been observed during cell growth, where several peaks of lipase activity have been reported, suggesting cell-associated lipase and lipase secreted into the environment. Lipase activities have also been found in cultures on glucose and glycerol carbon substrates. Further, the molecular characterization of lipolytic enzymes was performed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The formation of biosurfactants is to some extent formed by all strains. In particular, the biosurfactants of C. macerans and S. pararoseus yeast have emulsifying and solubilizing properties. Simultaneously with the production of lipase and biosurfactants, the production of characteristic high value added intracellular metabolites in S. pararoseus and R. mucilaginosa was evaluated too.

The aim of this diploma thesis realized as a comparative study was the study of regulation of carotenoid and ergosterol production in several carotenogenic yeast strains. Yeasts were exposed to exogenous stress factors. Salt stress and oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide) were reached by addition of NaCl and hydrogen peroxide into production media. Complex changes on metabolome (e.g. pigment and ergosterol production, RP-HPLC), proteome and genome were followed. Proteome changes were analyzed by PAGE-SDS and 2D electrophoresis. To isolation and analysis of chromosome DNA pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used. Six yeast strains were enrolled into the comparative study; three strains of the genus Rhodotorula and three strains of the genus Sporobolomyces. While yeasts Rhodotorula sp. were characterized by enhanced biomass as well as carotenoid production in normal and stress conditions, production of biomass by Sporobolomyces sp. was substantially lower. Carotenoid production in Sporobolomyces sp. was higher than in Rhodotorula sp.; the highest increase of was beta-carotene production was observed in Sporobolomyces salmonicolor cells stressed by salt (4x higher than in control) or peroxide (5x higher). Proteins were isolated from yeast cells by combination of mechanical and chemical disruption by glass beads and NaOh or SDS. Better yields were obtained by NaOH. Two staining methods were tested in PAGE-SDS protein analysis. Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining exhibited lower sensitivity, silver staining led to better visualisation of minor protein fractions too. 1D protein profiles was difficult to evaluate, therefore, 2D electrophoresis of selected strains (R.glutinis, R.rubra) was done. In yeast genome analysis by PFGE at minimum 7 DNA fractions were observed. These results probably are not final, further study will be needed for detailed characterization of red yeast genome.

Carotenoids are natural pigments occurring in plants and many microorganisms, such as algae, yeast and bacteria. They represent the most common group of antioxidants with significant biological effect. Lipids are an essential component of all living organisms. They are the source and the reservoir of energy for organisms, which can also be used in the petrochemical industry for the production of biofuels. This thesis deals with the production properties of carotenoids and lipids by selected strains of yeasts, algae, and canobacteria, in order to apply the acquired knowledge and find cheap suitable alternatives for microbial biotechnological production of these metabolites using waste substrates. Carotenoids, coenzyme Q, and ergosterol in cells were determined by liquid chromatography. The lipid content and fatty acid profile was analyzed by gas chromatography. Cell morphology and localization of selected metabolites were analyzed by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. In this work yeast genera Sporobolomyces, Cystofilobasidium and Rhodotorula were used. As the representatives of the algae and cyanobacteria strains of Desmodesmus, Cyanothece, Chlamydomonas, Synechoccocus and Chlorella strains were studied. In the overall comparison, the yeast strains were more productive than algae and cyanobacteria. The highest carotenoid production was found in S. pararoseus, C. capitatum and R. mucilaginosa cells, while the highest lipid yield was observed in strains of C. infirmominiatum and S. metaroseus.

The presented work was focused on the comparison between the production of selected metabolites by carotenogenic yeasts and microalgae cultivated under conditions of external stress. The main metabolites of interest were carotenoids, further lipophilic substances and lipids. Biotechnological overproduction of these metabolites could serve as a source of potentially beneficial substances not only for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries, but also for the production of third generation biofuels. Recently, there has been a growing interest in biofuels primarily from microalgae, which have a high potential in biofuel production and seem to be a promising source. The theoretical part deals with the description of individual genera of carotenogenic yeasts, microalgae, cyanobacteria, chemical composition of produced metabolites and brief biosynthesis. In addition, individual methods for analyzing the production of the metabolites of interest were described. The experimental part is focused on the comparison of production of carotenoids, coenzyme Q, ergosterols (phytosterols) and lipids by yeasts, microalgae and cyanobacteria. As a source of external stress, temperature, salt and light stress were chosen. The strains of Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Sporidiobolus pararoseus and Cystofilobasidium macerans were studied from the yeast strains. Microalgae and cyanobacteria were Scenedesmus obliqus, Scenedesmus dimorphus, Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella saccharophila, Botryococcus brauni, Synechococcus nidulans and Arthrospira maxima. The yeast and algal strains were optimized for growth, carotenoid and lipid production. Applied salt stress showed a significant liquidation effect on algal and cyanobacterial strains. The thesis also monitored the biological stress, so-called co-cultivation of microalgae and yeasts. Further experiments will be the subject of future work.

The aim of this master’s thesis was focused on characterization of carotenogenic yeast using molecular techniques. For this usage, interspecific variables of strongly conserved sequences of genomic DNA, especially rDNA D1/D2 large ribosomal subunit and ITS1 and 5,8-ITS2 rDNA regions were amplified. These sequences were subjected analysed by DGGE method, which approved differences of S. roseus in all analyzed rDNA sequencies compared to the other analyzed carotenogenic yeasts. Parameters of PFGE and isolation procedure of the intact DNA were optimized for caryotypic yeast characterization. At all, nine of carotenogenic yeast strains Rhodotorula, Sporobolomy-ces, Cystofilobasidium a Phaffia were analyzed by this techniques. Further part of this thesis was focused to application of molecular methods to analysis of region D1/D2 of large ribosomal subunit in mutant carotenogenic yeast strains. Mutant strains were pre-viously adapted to waste substrates - pasta and glycerol, and stability of their production properties was verified.

The master thesis addresses the issue of cultivation of selected strains of carotenogenic yeasts on waste materials of the food industry using a laboratory bioreactor. Carotenogenic yeasts are able to produce highly valuable metabolites during cultivation, which are located predominantly in the lipid part of the cells. Particularly, they are carotenoids, ergosterol, coenzyme Q and fatty acids. The thesis is divided into two main parts, the theoretical part and the practical part. The theoretical part describes individual yeast strains, types of waste materials, produced metabolites and methods of their analysis. The experimental part deals with the processing of waste materials of the food industry, specifically animal fat, whey and spent coffee grounds into the form of substrates usable as nutrition sources for yeast cultivation. Furthermore, cultivations focused on the recovery of the monitored metabolites and their analysis by using HPLC/PDA and GC/FID assemblies were studied as well. The yeast strains Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (CCY 19-4-6), Rhodotorula kratochvilae (CCY 20-2-26), Rhodosporidium toruloides (CCY 062-002-001), Sporidiobolus pararoseus (CCY 19-9-6) a Cystofilobasidium macerans (CCY 10-1-2) were used in this work. As one of the best producing strains Sporidiobolus pararoseus (CCY 19-9-6) was found, which achieved very high productions of carotenoids, coenzyme Q and ergosterol.

Karotenoidy, ergosterol a mastné kyseliny jsou velmi žádané látky využívané v krmivářském, potravinářském a kosmetickém průmyslu. Konvenční zdroje mastných kyselin a karotenoidů jsou závislé na sezónních podmínkách, geografické poloze a na dostupnosti zemědělské půdy, což znesnadňuje pokrýt jejich neustále se zvyšující spotřebu. Velmi slibným řešením je mikrobiální produkce výše uvedených látek pomocí karotenogenních kvasinek, které jsou schopny simultánně produkovat karotenoidy, mastné kyseliny i ergosterol. Předložená disertační práce je zaměřená na molekulární a metabolickou charakterizaci karotenogenních kvasinek a na jejich potenciál pro průmyslové aplikace. Proto první experimentální části práce jsou zaměřeny na kvasinky druhu R. mucilaginosa a R. toruloides, jejich produkční vlastnosti, vliv nutričního stresu a různých zdrojů uhlíku, jakými byly xylóza a glycerol. Kromě podrobné charakterizace jejich produkčních vlastností, byly tyto kmeny také charakterizovány molekulárními metodami, zahrnující sekvenční analýzu ITS1, ITS2 a D1/2 ribozomálního operonu a analýzu mini a mikrosatelitních sekvencí M13 a GTG5. Druh R. toruloides je známý jako vynikající producent mastných kyselin, a proto se v poslední době stal cílovou karotenogenní kvasinkou pro vývoj nástrojů pro jeho genetickou manipulaci. V této práci byly úspěšně připraveny geneticky modifikované klony kmene R. toruloides, nesoucí nadměrně exprimované geny pro diacylglycerol acyltransferázu (DGA1) a glycerol-3-fosfát dehydrogenázu (GPD1). Produkce mastných kyselin u modifikovaných klonů nebyla ve srovnání s původním kmenem vyšší. Proto byla další část práce zaměřená na přípravu nadprodukčních mutantních kmenů připravených náhodnou mutagenezí. Kombinace limitace dusíkem a inhibice produkce karotenoidů vedla k úspěšné selekci robustních mutantních kmenů s nadprodukcí karotenoidů vykazující rezistenci vůči difenylaminu. Poslední část práce se zabývá produkčními vlastnostmi méně známých druhů karotenogenních kvasinek náležící do řádů Sporidiobolales a Cystofilobasidales, ve srovnání s relativně dobře prostudovanými karotenogenními druhy R. toruloides a P.rhodozyma. V této studii byly nejlešími producenty mastných kyselin kmeny S.metaroseus CCY 19-6-20 a C. macerans CCY 10-01-02. Nejlepší producent karotenoidů, kmen R. mucilaginosa CCY 19-04-06, navíc produkoval lykopen, který představoval více než 80 % celkového množství karotenoidů produkovaných tímto kmenem.