Broadening the application of Yarrowia lipolytica synthetic biology tools to explore the potential of Yarrowia clade diversity.

Yeasts have established themselves as prominent microbial cell factories, and the availability of synthetic biology tools has led to breakthroughs in the rapid development of industrial chassis strains. The selection of a suitable microbial host is critical in metabolic engineering applications, but it has been largely limited to a few well-defined strains. However, there is growing consideration for evaluating strain diversity, as a wide range of specific traits and phenotypes have been reported even within a specific yeast genus or species. Moreover, with the advent of synthetic biology tools, non-type strains can now be easily and swiftly reshaped. The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has been extensively studied for various applications such as fuels, chemicals, and food. Additionally, other members of the Yarrowia clade are currently being evaluated for their industrial potential. In this study, we demonstrate the versatility of synthetic biology tools originally developed for Y. lipolytica by repurposing them for engineering other yeasts belonging to the Yarrowia clade. Leveraging the Golden Gate Y. lipolytica tool kit, we successfully expressed fluorescent proteins as well as the carotenoid pathway in at least five members of the clade, serving as proof of concept. This research lays the foundation for conducting more comprehensive investigations into the uncharacterized strains within the Yarrowia clade and exploring their potential applications in biotechnology.

Purification of Natural Pigments Violacein and Deoxyviolacein Produced by Fermentation Using Yarrowia lipolytica.

Violacein and deoxyviolacein are bis-indole pigments synthesized by a number of microorganisms. The present study describes the biosynthesis of a mixture of violacein and deoxyviolacein using a genetically modified Y. lipolytica strain as a production chassis, the subsequent extraction of the intracellular pigments, and ultimately their purification using column chromatography. The results show that the optimal separation between the pigments occurs using an ethyl acetate/cyclohexane mixture with different ratios, first 65:35 until both pigments were clearly visible and distinguishable, then 40:60 to create a noticeable separation between them and recover the deoxyviolacein, and finally 80:20, which allows the recovery of the violacein. The purified pigments were then analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Ethylzingerone, a Novel Compound with Antifungal Activity.

Preservatives increase the shelf life of cosmetic products by preventing growth of contaminating microbes, including bacteria and fungi. In recent years, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has recommended the ban or restricted use of a number of preservatives due to safety concerns. Here, we characterize the antifungal activity of ethylzingerone (hydroxyethoxyphenyl butanone [HEPB]), an SCCS-approved new preservative for use in rinse-off, oral care, and leave-on cosmetic products. We show that HEPB significantly inhibits growth of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acting fungicidally against C. albicans Using transcript profiling experiments, we found that the C. albicans transcriptome responded to HEPB exposure by increasing the expression of genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis while activating pathways involved in chemical detoxification/oxidative stress response. Comparative analyses revealed that C. albicans phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to HEPB treatment were distinguishable from those of two widely used preservatives, triclosan and methylparaben. Chemogenomic analyses, using a barcoded S. cerevisiae nonessential mutant library, revealed that HEPB antifungal activity strongly interfered with the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids. The trp1Δ mutants in S. cerevisiae and C. albicans were particularly sensitive to HEPB treatment, a phenotype rescued by exogenous addition of tryptophan to the growth medium, providing a direct link between HEPB mode of action and tryptophan availability. Collectively, our study sheds light on the antifungal activity of HEPB, a new molecule with safe properties for use as a preservative in the cosmetic industry, and exemplifies the powerful use of functional genomics to illuminate the mode of action of antimicrobial agents.

Transforming Candida hispaniensis, a promising oleaginous and flavogenic yeast.

Candida hispaniensis is an oleaginous yeast with a great potential for production of single cell oil according to its naturally high lipid accumulation capacity. Its unusual small genome size trait is also attractive for fundamental research on genome evolution. Our physiological study suggests a great potential for lipid production, reaching 224 mg/g of cell dry weight in glucose minimum medium. C. hispaniensis is also able to secrete up to 34.6 mg/L of riboflavin promising further riboflavin production improvements by cultivation optimization and genetic engineering. However, while its genome sequence has been released very recently, no genetic tools have been described up to now for this yeast limiting its use for fundamental research and for exploitation in an industrial biotechnology. We report here the first genetic modification of C. hispaniensis by introducing a heterologous invertase allowing the growth on sucrose using a biolistic transformation approach using a dedicated vector. The first genetic tool and transformation method developed here appear as a proof of concept, and while it would benefit from further optimization, heterogeneous expression of invertase allows for metabolism of an additional sugar and shows heterologous enzyme production capacity.

Generating genomic platforms to study Candida albicans pathogenesis.

The advent of the genomic era has made elucidating gene function on a large scale a pressing challenge. ORFeome collections, whereby almost all ORFs of a given species are cloned and can be subsequently leveraged in multiple functional genomic approaches, represent valuable resources toward this endeavor. Here we provide novel, genome-scale tools for the study of Candida albicans, a commensal yeast that is also responsible for frequent superficial and disseminated infections in humans. We have generated an ORFeome collection composed of 5099 ORFs cloned in a Gateway™ donor vector, representing 83% of the currently annotated coding sequences of C. albicans. Sequencing data of the cloned ORFs are available in the CandidaOrfDB database at http://candidaorfeome.eu. We also engineered 49 expression vectors with a choice of promoters, tags and selection markers and demonstrated their applicability to the study of target ORFs transferred from the C. albicans ORFeome. In addition, the use of the ORFeome in the detection of protein-protein interaction was demonstrated. Mating-compatible strains as well as Gateway™-compatible two-hybrid vectors were engineered, validated and used in a proof of concept experiment. These unique and valuable resources should greatly facilitate future functional studies in C. albicans and the elucidation of mechanisms that underlie its pathogenicity.

A set of Yarrowia lipolytica CRISPR/Cas9 vectors for exploiting wild-type strain diversity.

OBJECTIVES: The construction and validation of a set of Yarrowia lipolytica CRISPR/Cas9 vectors containing six different markers that allows virtually any genetic background to be edited, including those of wild-type strains. RESULTS: Using the Golden Gate method, we assembled a set of six CRISPR/Cas9 vectors, each containing a different selection marker, to be used for editing the genome of the industrial yeast Y. lipolytica. This vector set is available via Addgene. Any guide RNA (gRNA) sequence can be easily and rapidly introduced in any of these vectors using Golden Gate assembly. We successfully edited six different genes in a variety of genetic backgrounds, including those of wild-type strains, with five of the six vectors. Use of these vectors strongly improved homologous recombination and cassette integration at a specific locus. CONCLUSIONS: We have created a versatile and modular set of CRISPR/Cas9 vectors that will allow any Y. lipolytica strain to be rapidly edited; this tool will facilitate experimentation with any prototroph wild-type strains displaying interesting features.

Fermentation process for producing CFAs using Yarrowia lipolytica.

Past research has sought to improve the production of cyclopropane fatty acids by the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica by heterologously expressing the E. coli fatty acid synthase gene and improving cultivation processes. Cyclopropane fatty acids display properties that hold promise for biofuel applications. The E. coli fatty acid synthase gene was introduced into several genetic backgrounds of the yeast Y. lipolytica to optimize lipid synthesis; the mean cyclopropane fatty acid productivity was 43 mg L-1 h-1 on glucose, and the production rate reached its maximum (3.06 g L-1) after 72 h of cultivation in a bioreactor. The best strain (JMY6851) overexpressed simultaneously the E. coli cyclopropane fatty acid synthase gene under a hybrid promoter (hp8d) and Y. lipolytica LRO1 gene. In fed-batch process using crude glycerol as carbon source, JMY6851 strain displayed high lipid accumulation (78% of dry cell weight) and high biomass production (56 g L-1). After 165 h of cultivation, cyclopropane fatty acids represented 22% of the lipids produced; cyclopropane fatty acid productivity (103.3 mg L-1 h-1) was maximal at 72.5 h of cultivation.

Optimization of cyclopropane fatty acids production in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Cyclopropane fatty acids, which can be simply converted to methylated fatty acids, are good unusual fatty acid candidates for long-term resistance to oxidization and low-temperature fluidity useful for oleochemistry and biofuels. Cyclopropane fatty acids are present in low amounts in plants or bacteria. In order to develop a process for large-scale biolipid production, we expressed 10 cyclopropane fatty acid synthases from various organisms in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, a model yeast for lipid metabolism and naturally capable of producing large amounts of lipids. The Escherichia coli cyclopropane fatty acid synthase expression in Y. lipolytica allows the production of two classes of cyclopropane fatty acids, a C17:0 cyclopropanated form and a C19:0 cyclopropanated form, whereas others produce only the C17:0 form. Expression optimization and fed-batch fermentation set-up enable us to reach a specific productivity of 0.032 g·L-1 ·hr-1 with a genetically modified strain containing cyclopropane fatty acid up to 45% of the total lipid content corresponding to a titre of 2.3 ± 0.2 g/L and a yield of 56.2 ± 4.4 mg/g.

Engineering the architecture of erythritol-inducible promoters for regulated and enhanced gene expression in Yarrowia lipolytica.

The non-conventional model yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is of increasing interest as a cell factory for producing recombinant proteins or biomolecules with biotechnological or pharmaceutical applications. To further develop the yeast's efficiency and construct inducible promoters, it is crucial to better understand and engineer promoter architecture. Four conserved cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) were identified via phylogenetic footprinting within the promoter regions of EYD1 and EYK1, two genes that have recently been shown to be involved in erythritol catabolism. Using CRM mutagenesis and hybrid promoter construction, we identified four upstream activation sequences (UASs) that are involved in promoter induction by erythritol. Using RedStarII fluorescence as a reporter, the strength of the promoters and the degree of erythritol-based inducibility were determined in two genetic backgrounds: the EYK1 wild type and the eyk1Δ mutant. We successfully developed inducible promoters with variable strengths, which ranged from 0.1 SFU/h to 457.5 SFU/h. Erythritol-based induction increased 2.2 to 32.3 fold in the EYK1 + wild type and 2.9 to 896.1 fold in the eyk1Δ mutant. This set of erythritol-inducible hybrid promoters could allow the modulation and fine-tuning of gene expression levels. These promoters have direct applications in protein production, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.

Overexpression screen reveals transcription factors involved in lipid accumulation in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional oleaginous yeast that displays high lipid titers and yields; its production capacity holds significant promise for industrial biolipid applications. While its lipid metabolism has been widely studied, little is known about its transcriptional regulatory network. Deciphering the role of transcriptional regulators is crucial for understanding lipid accumulation, a complex phenomenon. To identify the transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism, we developed a systematic overexpression approach for 148 putative transcription factors. Analyses of overexpressing transformants revealed that 38 had an impact on lipid accumulation under at least one of the growth conditions tested. For most of these factors, our results provide the first experimentally determined functional annotation. Our data suggest that the regulation network differs depending on the carbon source, which is critical information when carrying out industrial bioprocesses. These results will therefore help guide further rational metabolic engineering for improving biolipid production by Y. lipolytica. Moreover, this work has created the largest collection of Y. lipolytica overexpressing strains to date, which will be useful in phenotype screening.

Characterization of hexose transporters in Yarrowia lipolytica reveals new groups of Sugar Porters involved in yeast growth.

Sugar assimilation has been intensively studied in the model yeast S. cerevisiae, and for two decades, it has been clear that the homologous HXT genes, which encode a set of hexose transporters, play a central role in this process. However, in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which is well-known for its biotechnological applications, sugar assimilation is only poorly understood, even though this yeast exhibits peculiar intra-strain differences in fructose uptake: some strains (e.g., W29) are known to be slow-growing in fructose while others (e.g., H222) grow rapidly under the same conditions. Here, we retrieved 24 proteins of the Sugar Porter family from these two strains, and determined that at least six of these proteins can function as hexose transporters in the heterologous host Saccharomyces cerevisiae EBY.VW4000. Transcriptional studies and deletion analysis in Y. lipolytica indicated that two genes, YHT1 and YHT4, are probably the main players in both strains, with a similar role in the uptake of glucose, fructose, and mannose at various concentrations. The other four genes appear to constitute a set of 'reservoir' hexose transporters with an as-yet unclear physiological role. Furthermore, through examining Sugar Porters of the entire Yarrowia clade, we show that they constitute a dynamic family, within which hexose transport genes have been duplicated and lost several times. Our phylogenetic analyses support the existence of at least three distinct evolutionary groups of transporters which allow yeasts to grow on hexoses. In addition to the well-known and widespread Hxt-type transporters (which are not essential in Y. lipolytica), we highlight a second group of transporters, represented by Yht1, which are phylogenetically related to sensors that play a regulatory role in S. cerevisiae, and a third group, represented by Yht4, previously thought to contain only high-affinity glucose transporters related to Hgt1of Kluyveromyces lactis.

Droplet-based microfluidic high-throughput screening of heterologous enzymes secreted by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

BACKGROUND: Droplet-based microfluidics is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to microtiter plate techniques for enzymatic high-throughput screening (HTS), especially for exploring large diversities with lower time and cost footprint. In this case, the assayed enzyme has to be accessible to the substrate within the water-in-oil droplet by being ideally extracellular or displayed at the cell surface. However, most of the enzymes screened to date are expressed within the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli cells, which means that a lysis step must take place inside the droplets for enzyme activity to be assayed. Here, we take advantage of the excellent secretion abilities of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to describe a highly efficient expression system particularly suitable for the droplet-based microfluidic HTS. RESULTS: Five hydrolytic genes from Aspergillus niger genome were chosen and the corresponding five Yarrowia lipolytica producing strains were constructed. Each enzyme (endo-ß-1,4-xylanase B and C; 1,4-ß-cellobiohydrolase A; endoglucanase A; aspartic protease) was successfully overexpressed and secreted in an active form in the crude supernatant. A droplet-based microfluidic HTS system was developed to (a) encapsulate single yeast cells; (b) grow yeast in droplets; (c) inject the relevant enzymatic substrate; (d) incubate droplets on chip; (e) detect enzymatic activity; and (f) sort droplets based on enzymatic activity. Combining this integrated microfluidic platform with gene expression in Y. lipolytica results in remarkably low variability in the enzymatic activity at the single cell level within a given monoclonal population (<5%). Xylanase, cellobiohydrolase and protease activities were successfully assayed using this system. We then used the system to screen for thermostable variants of endo-ß-1,4-xylanase C in error-prone PCR libraries. Variants displaying higher thermostable xylanase activities compared to the wild-type were isolated (up to 4.7-fold improvement). CONCLUSIONS: Yarrowia lipolytica was used to express fungal genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes of interest. We developed a successful droplet-based microfluidic platform for the high-throughput screening (105 strains/h) of Y. lipolytica based on enzyme secretion and activity. This approach provides highly efficient tools for the HTS of recombinant enzymatic activities. This should be extremely useful for discovering new biocatalysts via directed evolution or protein engineering approaches and should lead to major advances in microbial cell factory development.

Analysis of the genome and transcriptome of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii reveals complex RNA expression and microevolution leading to virulence attenuation.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic basidiomycetous yeast responsible for more than 600,000 deaths each year. It occurs as two serotypes (A and D) representing two varieties (i.e. grubii and neoformans, respectively). Here, we sequenced the genome and performed an RNA-Seq-based analysis of the C. neoformans var. grubii transcriptome structure. We determined the chromosomal locations, analyzed the sequence/structural features of the centromeres, and identified origins of replication. The genome was annotated based on automated and manual curation. More than 40,000 introns populating more than 99% of the expressed genes were identified. Although most of these introns are located in the coding DNA sequences (CDS), over 2,000 introns in the untranslated regions (UTRs) were also identified. Poly(A)-containing reads were employed to locate the polyadenylation sites of more than 80% of the genes. Examination of the sequences around these sites revealed a new poly(A)-site-associated motif (AUGHAH). In addition, 1,197 miscRNAs were identified. These miscRNAs can be spliced and/or polyadenylated, but do not appear to have obvious coding capacities. Finally, this genome sequence enabled a comparative analysis of strain H99 variants obtained after laboratory passage. The spectrum of mutations identified provides insights into the genetics underlying the micro-evolution of a laboratory strain, and identifies mutations involved in stress responses, mating efficiency, and virulence.

Targeted changes of the cell wall proteome influence Candida albicans ability to form single- and multi-strain biofilms.

Biofilm formation is an important virulence trait of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. We have combined gene overexpression, strain barcoding and microarray profiling to screen a library of 531 C. albicans conditional overexpression strains (∼10% of the genome) for genes affecting biofilm development in mixed-population experiments. The overexpression of 16 genes increased strain occupancy within a multi-strain biofilm, whereas overexpression of 4 genes decreased it. The set of 16 genes was significantly enriched for those encoding predicted glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-modified proteins, namely Ihd1/Pga36, Phr2, Pga15, Pga19, Pga22, Pga32, Pga37, Pga42 and Pga59; eight of which have been classified as pathogen-specific. Validation experiments using either individually- or competitively-grown overexpression strains revealed that the contribution of these genes to biofilm formation was variable and stage-specific. Deeper functional analysis of PGA59 and PGA22 at a single-cell resolution using atomic force microscopy showed that overexpression of either gene increased C. albicans ability to adhere to an abiotic substrate. However, unlike PGA59, PGA22 overexpression led to cell cluster formation that resulted in increased sensitivity to shear forces and decreased ability to form a single-strain biofilm. Within the multi-strain environment provided by the PGA22-non overexpressing cells, PGA22-overexpressing cells were protected from shear forces and fitter for biofilm development. Ultrastructural analysis, genome-wide transcript profiling and phenotypic analyses in a heterologous context suggested that PGA22 affects cell adherence through alteration of cell wall structure and/or function. Taken together, our findings reveal that several novel predicted GPI-modified proteins contribute to the cooperative behaviour between biofilm cells and are important participants during C. albicans biofilm formation. Moreover, they illustrate the power of using signature tagging in conjunction with gene overexpression for the identification of novel genes involved in processes pertaining to C. albicans virulence.

Overexpression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Yarrowia lipolytica affects lipid body size, number and distribution.

In the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, the diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGATs) are major factors for triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. The Q4 strain, in which the four acyltransferases have been deleted, is unable to accumulate lipids and to form lipid bodies (LBs). However, the expression of a single acyltransferase in this strain restores TAG accumulation and LB formation. Using this system, it becomes possible to characterize the activity and specificity of an individual DGAT. Here, we examined the effects of DGAT overexpression on lipid accumulation and LB formation in Y. lipolytica Specifically, we evaluated the consequences of introducing one or two copies of the Y. lipolytica DGAT genes YlDGA1 and YlDGA2 Overall, multi-copy DGAT overexpression increased the lipid content of yeast cells. However, the size and distribution of LBs depended on the specific DGAT overexpressed. YlDGA2 overexpression caused the formation of large LBs, while YlDGA1 overexpression generated smaller but more numerous LBs. This phenotype was accentuated through the addition of a second copy of the overexpressed gene and might be linked to the distinct subcellular localization of each DGAT, i.e. YlDga1 being localized in LBs, while YlDga2 being localized in a structure strongly resembling the endoplasmic reticulum.

High-throughput fermentation screening for the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica with real-time monitoring of biomass and lipid production.

BACKGROUND: Because the model yeast Yarrowia lipolytica can synthesize and store lipids in quantities up to 20 % of its dry weight, it is a promising microorganism for oil production at an industrial scale. Typically, optimization of the lipid production process is performed in the laboratory and later scaled up for industrial production. However, the scale-up process can be complicated by genetic modifications that are optimized for one set of growing conditions can confer a less-than-optimal phenotype in a different environment. To address this issue, small cultivation systems have been developed that mimic the conditions in benchtop bioreactors. In this work, we used one such microbioreactor system, the BioLector, to develop high-throughput fermentation procedures that optimize growth and lipid accumulation in Y. lipolytica. Using this system, we were able to monitor lipid and biomass production in real time throughout the culture duration. RESULTS: The BioLector can monitor the growth of Y. lipolytica in real time by evaluating scattered light; this produced accurate measurements until cultures reached an equivalent of OD600nm = 115 and a cell dry weight of 100 g L(-1). In addition, a lipid-specific fluorescent probe was applied which reliably monitored lipid production up to a concentration of 12 g L(-1). Through screening various growing conditions, we determined that a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 35 was the most efficient for lipid production. Further screening showed that ammonium chloride and glycerol were the most valuable nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively, for growth and lipid production. Moreover, a carbon concentration above 1 M appeared to impair growth and lipid accumulation. Finally, we used these optimized conditions to screen engineered strains of Y. lipolytica with high lipid-accumulation capability. The growth and lipid content of the strains cultivated in the BioLector were compared to those grown in benchtop bioreactors. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first time that the BioLector has been used to track lipid production in real time and to monitor the growth of Y. lipolytica. The present study also showed the efficacy of the BioLector in screening growing conditions and engineered strains prior to scale-up. The method described here could be applied to other oleaginous microorganisms.

A comprehensive functional portrait of two heat shock factor-type transcriptional regulators involved in Candida albicans morphogenesis and virulence.

Sfl1p and Sfl2p are two homologous heat shock factor-type transcriptional regulators that antagonistically control morphogenesis in Candida albicans, while being required for full pathogenesis and virulence. To understand how Sfl1p and Sfl2p exert their function, we combined genome-wide location and expression analyses to reveal their transcriptional targets in vivo together with the associated changes of the C. albicans transcriptome. We show that Sfl1p and Sfl2p bind to the promoter of at least 113 common targets through divergent binding motifs and modulate directly the expression of key transcriptional regulators of C. albicans morphogenesis and/or virulence. Surprisingly, we found that Sfl2p additionally binds to the promoter of 75 specific targets, including a high proportion of hyphal-specific genes (HSGs; HWP1, HYR1, ECE1, others), revealing a direct link between Sfl2p and hyphal development. Data mining pointed to a regulatory network in which Sfl1p and Sfl2p act as both transcriptional activators and repressors. Sfl1p directly represses the expression of positive regulators of hyphal growth (BRG1, UME6, TEC1, SFL2), while upregulating both yeast form-associated genes (RME1, RHD1, YWP1) and repressors of morphogenesis (SSN6, NRG1). On the other hand, Sfl2p directly upregulates HSGs and activators of hyphal growth (UME6, TEC1), while downregulating yeast form-associated genes and repressors of morphogenesis (NRG1, RFG1, SFL1). Using genetic interaction analyses, we provide further evidences that Sfl1p and Sfl2p antagonistically control C. albicans morphogenesis through direct modulation of the expression of important regulators of hyphal growth. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that binding of Sfl1p and Sfl2p to their targets occurs with the co-binding of Efg1p and/or Ndt80p. We show, indeed, that Sfl1p and Sfl2p targets are bound by Efg1p and that both Sfl1p and Sfl2p associate in vivo with Efg1p. Taken together, our data suggest that Sfl1p and Sfl2p act as central "switch on/off" proteins to coordinate the regulation of C. albicans morphogenesis.

High-throughput transformation method for Yarrowia lipolytica mutant library screening.

As a microorganism of major biotechnological importance, the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is subjected to intensive genetic engineering and functional genomic analysis. Future advancements in this area, however, require a system that will generate a large collection of mutants for high-throughput screening. Here, we report a rapid and efficient method for high-throughput transformation of Y. lipolytica in 96-well plates. We developed plasmids and strains for the large-scale screening of overexpression mutant strains, using Gateway® vectors that were adapted for specific locus integration in Y. lipolytica. As an example, a collection of mutants that overexpressed the alkaline extracellular protease (AEP) was obtained in a single transformation experiment. The platform strain that we developed to receive the overexpression cassette was designed to constitutively express a fluorescent protein as a convenient growth reporter for screening in non-translucid media. An example of growth comparison in skim milk-based medium between AEP overexpression and deletion mutants is provided.

Single cell oil production on molasses by Yarrowia lipolytica strains overexpressing DGA2 in multicopy.

Yarrowia lipolytica is a promising platform for single cell oil production. It is well-known for its metabolism oriented toward utilization of hydrophobic substrates and accumulation of storage lipids. Multiple copies of DGA2 under constitutive promoter were introduced into the Q4 strain, a quadruple mutant deleted for the four acyltransferases (Δdga1, Δdga2, Δlro1, and Δare1) to improve lipid accumulation. The Q4-DGA2 x3 strain contains three copies of DGA2. Further increase in accumulation was accomplished by blocking the ß-oxidation pathway through MFE1 gene deletion yielding Q4-Δmfe DGA2 x3. In order to use molasses as a substrate for single cell oil production, sucrose utilization was established by expressing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene yielding Q4-SUC2 DGA2 x3 and Q4-Δmfe SUC2 DGA2 x3. During cultivation on sucrose medium with a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 80, both strains accumulated more than 40 % of lipids, which was a 2-fold increase in lipid storage. Q4-Δmfe SUC2 DGA2 x3 accumulated more lipids than Q4-SUC2 DGA2 x3 (49 vs. 43 %) but yielded less biomass (13.7 vs. 15 g/L). When grown on 8 % (v/v) molasses, both strains accumulated more than 30 % of lipids after 3 days, while biomass yield was higher in Q4-SUC2 DGA2 x3 (16.4 vs. 14.4 g/L). Further addition of molasses at 72 h resulted in higher biomass yield, 26.6 g/L for Q4-SUC2 DGA2 x3, without modification of lipid content. This work presents genetically modified strains of Y. lipolytica as suitable tools for direct conversion of industrial molasses into value added products based on single cell oils.