Engineers Develop Yeast Strain with Enhanced Lipid and Biochemical Production

Researchers in The University of Texas at Austin used metabolic engineering and directed evolution to develop a mutant yeast strain that yields more lipids. The strain could also be used in biochemical production of oleochemicals which are used to make a variety of household products.

Hal Alper of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, and his team have engineered a Yarrowia lipolytica yeast with enhanced ability to convert simple sugars into lipids. Furthermore, the cells produced these lipids faster than the previous strain. Alper's lab is also studying the types of lipid products they can produce from the strain.

"Our re-engineered strain serves as a stepping stone toward sustainable and renewable production of fuels such as biodiesel," Alper said. "Moreover, this work contributes to the overall goal of reaching energy independence."

Their findings were published online in the journal Metabolic Engineering.