Construction of yeast producing patchoulol by global metabolic engineering strategy

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Patchoulol is a valuable sesquiterpene alcohol used in the chemical industry.
• Traditional steam distillation of patchouli yields low amounts of patchoulol and is energy-intensive.
• Recombinant microorganisms offer a sustainable alternative for producing patchoulol under mild conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer yeast for enhanced patchoulol production using a global metabolic engineering strategy (GMES).
• To evaluate the efficiency of GMES in modulating gene expression for secondary metabolite synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Developed and applied the global metabolic engineering strategy (GMES) using the cocktail δ-integration method in yeast.
• Modulated the expression of nine genes critical for patchoulol biosynthesis.
• Utilized batch-fermentation for production analysis.

Main Results:

• Achieved a patchoulol concentration of 42.1 mg/L.
• Obtained a production rate of 8.42 mg/L/d.
• Reached a yield of 2.05 mg/g-glucose, outperforming previous studies.

Conclusions:

• The engineered yeast strain YPH499/PAT167/MVA442 demonstrates high-level patchoulol production.
• GMES is a viable strategy for producing plant-derived secondary metabolites in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• This approach provides a sustainable and efficient alternative for industrial patchoulol supply.