Natural Variation in the Multidrug Efflux Pump Underlies Ionic Liquid Tolerance in Yeast.

Imidazolium ionic liquids (IILs) have a range of biotechnological applications, including as pretreatment solvents that extract cellulose from plant biomass for microbial fermentation into sustainable bioenergy. However, residual levels of IILs, such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([CCim]Cl), are toxic to biofuel-producing microbes, including the yeast strains isolated from diverse ecological niches differ in genomic sequence and in phenotypes potentially beneficial for industrial applications, including tolerance to inhibitory compounds present in hydrolyzed plant feedstocks. We evaluated >100 genome-sequenced strains for tolerance to [CCim]Cl and identified one strain with exceptional tolerance.