Regulation of porphyrin biosynthesis in yeast. Level of delta-aminolevulinic acid in porphyrin mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants bearing mutations at the cyc4 locus are partially deficient in cytochrome synthesis. Although the mutation is not in the structural gene for delta-aminolevulinic acid (Alv) synthase, the mutants are deficient in Alv synthesis in vivo as indicated by abnormally low intracellular Alv concentrations. The cyc4 mutation causes cells to grow very slowly in minimal glucose medium, but not in yeast extract-peptone-glucose medium. A simple nutritional defect caused by the cyc4 mutation is not involved because cytochrome deficiency is enhanced by growing cyc4 cells in yeast extract-peptone medium. A regulatory role for CYC4 is indicated. Evidence for negative feed-back control of Alv synthase by heme is provided by the observation of enhanced intracellular Alv accumulation in yeast mutants partially deficient in decarboxylation of uroporphyrinogen and coproporphyrinogen, respectively.