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Triacetic acid lactone production in industrial Saccharomyces yeast strains

  • Bioenergy/Biofuels/Biochemicals
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) is a potential platform chemical that can be produced in yeast. To evaluate the potential for industrial yeast strains to produce TAL, the g2ps1 gene encoding 2-pyrone synthase was transformed into 13 industrial yeast strains of varied genetic background. TAL production varied 63-fold between strains when compared in batch culture with glucose. Ethanol, acetate, and glycerol were also tested as potential carbon sources. Batch cultures with ethanol medium produced the highest titers. Therefore, fed-batch cultivation with ethanol feed was assayed for TAL production in bioreactors, producing our highest TAL titer, 5.2 g/L. Higher feed rates resulted in a loss of TAL and subsequent production of additional TAL side products. Finally, TAL efflux was measured and TAL is actively exported from S. cerevisiae cells. Percent yield for all strains was low, indicating that further metabolic engineering of the strains is required.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Katherine Card for her excellent technical assistance throughout this study. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Joseph Noel (Salk Institute) for the g2ps1 gene encoding the 2-pyrone synthase.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioenergy Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL, 61604, USA

    Lauren P. Saunders, Michael J. Bowman, Jeffrey A. Mertens & Ronald E. Hector

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA

    Nancy A. Da Silva

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  1. Lauren P. Saunders
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Correspondence to Ronald E. Hector.

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Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing scientific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Saunders, L.P., Bowman, M.J., Mertens, J.A. et al. Triacetic acid lactone production in industrial Saccharomyces yeast strains. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 42, 711–721 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-015-1596-7

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