The amino acid proline functions as a nitrogen source and as a stress protectant
in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, utilization of
proline as a carbon source in S. cerevisiae cells has not been
studied yet. In the process of study on the physiological roles of the
found-in-mitochondrial-proteome (FMP) genes in proline
metabolism, we found that Δfmp12 cells could grow better than
wild-type cells on agar plate medium containing proline as the sole nitrogen and
carbon sources. In contrast, overexpression of FMP12 negatively
affected cell growth under the same condition. The Fmp12 protein was localized
in the mitochondria and was constitutively expressed. Deletion of the genes that
encode mitochondrial enzymes, such as proline dehydrogenase
(PUT1), Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase
(PUT2), alanine transaminase (ALT1), and
α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase subunit (KGD1), abolished the
enhanced cell growth in Δfmp12. These results provided the
first evidence that proline can be utilized as a carbon source via the
mitochondrial proline metabolic pathway and the subsequent tricarboxylic acid
(TCA) cycle in S. cerevisiae. The function of Fmp12, which has
a similarity with α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases of the yeast
Candida species and human, might inhibit cell growth by
skipping the ATP production step of the TCA cycle.