Adaptive laboratory evolution boosts Yarrowia lipolytica tolerance to vanillic acid

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microbiology
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Lignocellulose-derived inhibitors, like aromatic acids, hinder economical biofuel and biochemical production.
• Enhancing microbial tolerance to these inhibitors is crucial for developing efficient lignocellulosic biorefineries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the tolerance of Yarrowia lipolytica to vanillic acid, a representative aromatic acid.
• To identify genetic mechanisms underlying enhanced aromatic acid tolerance in Y. lipolytica.

Main Methods:

• Adaptive laboratory evolution was employed to generate inhibitor-tolerant strains.
• Transcriptome profiling was used to analyze gene expression changes in evolved strains.
• Reverse engineering was performed to validate the role of specific genes.

Main Results:

• Adaptive evolution significantly improved Y. lipolytica tolerance to vanillic acid.
• Transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of RNA processing and multidrug transporter pathways.
• Amplification of specific genes (YALI0_F13475g and YALI0_E25201g) conferred tolerance to multiple aromatic acids.

Conclusions:

• Regulation of RNA processing and multidrug transporting pathways is vital for enhanced aromatic acid tolerance.
• The identified genes provide valuable genetic targets for constructing robust Y. lipolytica strains for biorefineries.
• This research contributes to the development of sustainable biofuel and biochemical production.