Disrupted short chain specific β-oxidation and improved synthase expression increase synthesis of short chain fatty acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Biologically derived fatty acids have gained tremendous interest as an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels and chemical precursors. We previously demonstrated the synthesis of short chain fatty acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by introduction of the Homo sapiens fatty acid synthase (hFAS) with heterologous phosphopantetheine transferases and heterologous thioesterases. In this study, short chain fatty acid production was improved by combining a variety of novel enzyme and metabolic engineering strategies.

Overproduction and secretion of free fatty acids through disrupted neutral lipid recycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The production of fuels and chemicals from biorenewable resources is important to alleviate the environmental concerns, costs, and foreign dependency associated with the use of petroleum feedstock. Fatty acids are attractive biomolecules due to the flexibility of their iterative biosynthetic pathway, high energy content, and suitability for conversion into other secondary chemicals. Free fatty acids (FFAs) that can be secreted from the cell are particularly appealing due to their lower harvest costs and straightforward conversion into a broad range of biofuel and biochemical products.