Morphological analysis of Yarrowia lipolytica under stress conditions through image processing

Abstract

Stress conditions (thermal and oxidative) were applied to Yarrowia lipolytica culture. A rearrangement in cell metabolism as well as dimorphism was observed under these conditions. An image analysis procedure was employed for morphology characterization, and a net increase of around 25% on hyphae formation was detected. A significant increment in total hyphal length was detected, compared with the control system. The results obtained lead to the consideration of a possible relationship between dimorphism and a cell response mechanism to stress conditions.