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Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Techniques for the Evolution of Robust Pentose-fermenting Yeast for Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol
Published on: October 24, 2016
Engineering of yeast pyruvate decarboxylase for enhanced selectivity towards carboligation
Praveen Kumar Agarwal1, Vanita Uppada1, A G Swaminathan2
1Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai 40076, Mumbai, India.
Abstract:
The aim of the study was to increase production of (R)-PAC by altering carboligation activity of Pdc in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pdc1 activity was modified by over-expression as well as changing the rate of decarboxylation and carboligation by site specific mutation in Pdc1. Over-expression of mutant Pdc1 resulted in 50 ± 2.5% increase in levels of (R)-PAC in wild-type and further 30-40% in pdc null background. The combination of mutant Pdc1 in pdc null background was successfully evaluated for production of (R)-PAC at industrial scale. This is the first report of enhancing (R)-PAC product in yeast by recombinant technology with capability of commercial production.
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