Metabolically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae for branched-chain ester productions

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Branched-chain esters serve as valuable biofuels and industrial chemicals.
• Efficient microbial production of these esters requires optimized cell factories.
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a promising host for bio-based chemical production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae for high-level production of branched-chain esters.
• To enhance the yield and diversity of industrially relevant esters.
• To explore metabolic engineering strategies for biofuel development.

Main Methods:

• Overexpression of the valine biosynthetic pathway.
• Mitochondrion-based expression of ATF1, ARO10, and ADH7.
• Cytosolic relocalization of the esterification step for improved acetyl-CoA utilization.

Main Results:

• Successful production of isobutyl acetate, 3-methyl-1-butyl acetate, and 2-methyl-1-butyl acetate.
• Achieved titers of 260.2 mg/L isobutyl acetate, 296.1 mg/L 3-methyl-1-butyl acetate, and 289.6 mg/L 2-methyl-1-butyl acetate.
• Demonstrated a significant improvement in ester production through downstream pathway engineering.

Conclusions:

• Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae can efficiently produce multiple branched-chain esters.
• Metabolic engineering strategies, including pathway optimization and subcellular localization, are effective for enhancing ester production.
• This work contributes to the development of sustainable bio-based fuels and chemicals.