Broaden the application ofYarrowia Lipolyticasynthetic biology tools to explore the potential of Yarrowia clade biodiversity

Abstract

AbstractYeasts have established themselves as prominent microbial cell factories, and the availability of synthetic biology tools has led to breakthroughs in the rapid development of industrial chassis strains. The selection of a suitable microbial host is critical in metabolic engineering applications, but it has been largely limited to a few well-defined strains. However, there is growing consideration for evaluating strain diversity, as a wide range of specific traits and phenotypes have been reported even within a specific yeast genus or species. Moreover, with the advent of synthetic biology tools, non-type strains can now be easily and swiftly reshaped.The yeastYarrowia lipolyticahas been extensively studied for various applications such as fuels, chemicals, and food. Additionally, other members of the Yarrowia clade are currently being evaluated for their industrial potential. In this study, we demonstrate the versatility of synthetic biology tools originally developed forY. lipolyticaby repurposing them for engineering other yeasts belonging to the Yarrowia clade. Leveraging the GoldenGateY. lipolyticatool kit, we successfully expressed fluorescent proteins as well as the carotenoid pathway in at least six members of the clade, serving as proof of concept.This research lays the foundation for conducting more comprehensive investigations into the under-characterized strains within the Yarrowia clade and exploring their potential applications in biotechnology.