Ogataea

Lore & Background

The genus name Ogataea honors Koichi Ogata, a Japanese microbiologist from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, at Kyoto University, for his studies on the oxidation and assimilation of methanol in methanol-utilizing yeasts. The genus was circumscribed by Yuzo Yamada, Kojiro Maeda and Kozaburo Mikata in 1994. Species within Ogataea are single-celled or build pseudohyphae of only a few elongated cells; true hyphae are not formed. They reproduce sexually or asexually, with asexual reproduction by multilateral budding on a narrow base. Sexual reproduction involves deliquescent asci that may be unconjugated or show conjugation, producing one to four or more ascospores that are hat-shaped, allantoid or spherical with a ledge. The species are homothallic or infrequently heterothallic. Ogataea cells can ferment glucose or other sugars, some assimilate nitrate, and all known species utilize methanol as a carbon source. The genus is placed within the Saccharomycetales as a sister genus to Ambrosiozyma. Following Kurtzman et al. 2011, the genus consists of 31 species but also shows that there are several more within the taxon that are part of the polyphyletic genus Candida.

Reader's Guide

Ogataea is significant primarily for its metabolic specialization: all known species utilize methanol as a carbon source, a trait that links the genus to the research legacy of Koichi Ogata, after whom it is named. The genus was established through molecular analysis of 18S and 26S rRNA partial base sequencings, separating it from Hansenula. Its circumscription in 1994 by Yamada, Maeda and Mikata provided a taxonomic framework for methanol-utilizing yeasts. Some species, such as Ogataea polymorpha, Ogataea minuta and Ogataea methanolica, are used and cultured for microbiological and genetic research. The genus is placed as a sister group to Ambrosiozyma within the Saccharomycetales. The type species is Ogataea minuta. The article notes that while Kurtzman et al. 2011 lists 31 species, additional taxa within the genus are part of the polyphyletic genus Candida, indicating ongoing taxonomic complexity. The predominant ubiquinone is coenzyme Q-7, and the diazonium blue B test is negative, which are diagnostic features. The genus includes species isolated from diverse substrates, as reflected in species names such as Ogataea corticis (from bark) and Ogataea populialbae (from poplar).

Did You Know?

• The genus Ogataea was separated from Hansenula based on 18S and 26S rRNA partial base sequencings.
• All known species of Ogataea can utilize methanol as a carbon source.
• The type species is Ogataea minuta (Wickerham) Y. Yamada, K. Maeda & Mikata.
• The genus is named after Koichi Ogata, a Japanese microbiologist at Kyoto University.