Abstract: In this study, we focused on the influence of fatty acids with different chain lengths (hexanoic, lauric and hexadecanoic acid) on gene expression at the transcriptomic level in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the logarithmic phase. The results demonstrated that the number of transcribed genes and transcription levels changed during logarithmic growth in the presence of each of the three fatty acids; hexanoic acid had the greatest impact on gene transcription levels while the impact of hexadecanoic was the lowest. Furthermore, by analysis of the transcriptomic sequencing data, we predicted that there might be 40 transporter protein genes and 17 transcript factors. Finally, we analyzed the transcription levels of the key enzyme genes involved in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway that were affected by the fatty acids with different chain lengths. This research provides theoretical support for a better understanding of gene expression and the underlying regulatory mechanism in fatty acid biosynthesis by S. cerevisiae.

Key words: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fatty acids, transcriptomic sequencing