Engineering acetyl-CoA metabolism to enhance stress tolerance of yeast by regulating membrane functionality

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii has excellent fermentation performance and good tolerance to osmotic stress. Acetyl-CoA is a crucial intermediate precursor in the central carbon metabolic pathway of yeast. This study investigated the effect of engineering acetyl-CoA metabolism on the membrane functionality and stress tolerance of yeast. Firstly, exogenous supplementation of acetyl-CoA improved the biomass and the ability of unsaturated fatty acid synthesis of Z. rouxii under salt stress. Q-PCR results suggested that the gene ACSS (coding acetyl-CoA synthetase) was significantly up-expressed. Subsequently, the gene ACSS from Z. rouxii was transformed and heterologously expressed in S. cerevisiae. The recombinant cells exhibited better multiple stress (salt, acid, heat, and cold) tolerance, higher fatty acid contents, membrane integrity, and fluidity. Our findings may provide a suitable means to enhance the stress tolerance and fermentation efficiency of yeast under harsh fermentation environments.