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Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for production of medium-chain fatty acids

  • Bioenergy and biofuels
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Abstract

Lipids are naturally derived products that offer an attractive, renewable alternative to petroleum-based hydrocarbons. While naturally produced long-chain fatty acids can replace some petroleum analogs, medium-chain fatty acid would more closely match the desired physical and chemical properties of currently employed petroleum products. In this study, we engineered Yarrowia lipolytica, an oleaginous yeast that naturally produces lipids at high titers, to produce medium-chain fatty acids. Five different acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterases with specificity for medium-chain acyl-ACP molecules were expressed in Y. lipolytica, resulting in formation of either decanoic or octanoic acid. These novel fatty acid products were found to comprise up to 40 % of the total cell lipids. Furthermore, the reduction in chain length resulted in a twofold increase in specific lipid productivity in these engineered strains. The medium-chain fatty acids were found to be incorporated into all lipid classes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Energy Biosciences Institute. We thank Jeffrey Skerker for his help during the early stages of this project and Chris Somerville for his help with lipid analysis.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Charles D. Rutter, Shuyan Zhang & Christopher V. Rao

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  1. Charles D. Rutter
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  2. Shuyan Zhang
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  3. Christopher V. Rao
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Correspondence to Christopher V. Rao.

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Rutter, C.D., Zhang, S. & Rao, C.V. Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for production of medium-chain fatty acids. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99, 7359–7368 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-6764-1

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