A metabolic engineering strategy for producing free fatty acids by the Yarrowia lipolytica yeast based on impairment of glycerol metabolism.

In recent years, bio-based production of free fatty acids from renewable resources has attracted attention for their potential as precursors for the production of biofuels and biochemicals. In this study, the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica was engineered to produce free fatty acids by eliminating glycerol metabolism. Free fatty acid production was monitored under lipogenic conditions with glycerol as a limiting factor.

Co-expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and acyl-CoA binding protein enhances lipid accumulation in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

The oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is a convenient model for investigating lipid biosynthesis and for engineering high lipid accumulated strains. In this organism, the pentose phosphate pathway is the major source of NADPH for lipid biosynthesis. Thus, we over-expressed gene encoding NADP-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (ZWF1) in a strain deficient in peroxisome biogenesis.