The non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has been popular as a model system for understanding biological processes such as dimorphism and lipid accumulation. The organism can efficiently utilize hydrophobic substrates (hydrocarbons and triglycerides) thereby rendering it relevant in bioremediation of oil polluted environments. The current review focuses on the interactions of this fungus with metal pollutants and its potential application in bioremediation of metal contaminated locales. This fungus is intrinsically equipped with a variety of physiological and biochemical features that enable it to tide over stress conditions induced by the presence of metals. Production of enzymes such as phosphatases, reductases and superoxide dismutases are worth a special mention. In the presence of metals, levels of inherently produced metal binding proteins (metallothioneins) and the pigment melanin are seen to be elevated. Morphological alterations with respect to biofilm formation and dimorphic transition from yeast to mycelial form are also induced by certain metals. The biomass of Y. lipolytica is inherently important as a biosorbent and cell surface modification, process optimization or whole cell immobilization techniques have aided in improving this capability. In the presence of metals such as mercury, cadmium, copper and uranium, the culture forms nanoparticulate deposits. In addition, on account of its intrinsic reductive ability, Y. lipolytica is being exploited for synthesizing nanoparticles of gold, silver, cadmium and selenium with applications as antimicrobial compounds, location agents for bioimaging and as feed supplements. This versatile organism thus has great potential in interacting with various metals and addressing problems related to their pollutant status.

非常规酵母解脂耶氏酵母作为理解生物过程（例如二态性和脂质积累）的模型系统而广受欢迎。该生物体可以有效地利用疏水性底物（碳氢化合物和甘油三酯），从而使其与石油污染环境的生物修复相关。目前的审查重点是这种真菌与金属污染物的相互作用及其在金属污染区域的生物修复中的潜在应用。这种真菌本质上具有多种生理和生化特征，使其能够克服由金属存在引起的压力条件。磷酸酶、还原酶和超氧化物歧化酶等酶的生产值得特别提及。在金属存在的情况下，固有产生的金属结合蛋白（金属硫蛋白）和色素黑色素的水平被认为是升高的。某些金属也会诱导生物膜形成和从酵母到菌丝体形式的二态转变的形态学改变。生物量Y. lipolytica作为生物吸附剂和细胞表面修饰、工艺优化或全细胞固定技术具有内在重要性，有助于提高这种能力。在汞、镉、铜和铀等金属存在的情况下，培养物会形成纳米颗粒沉积物。此外，由于其固有的还原能力，解脂耶氏酵母正被用于合成金、银、镉和硒的纳米颗粒，用作抗菌化合物、生物成像的定位剂和饲料补充剂。因此，这种多功能有机体在与各种金属相互作用和解决与其污染物状态相关的问题方面具有巨大潜力。