GLBRC Develops New Strain of Yeast to Boost Ethanol Yields

Researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) have developed a new strain of yeast that could improve the efficiency of biofuel production from cellulosic biomass.

Quinn Dickinson, a research specialist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Wisconsin Energy Institute and GLBRC, and Jeff Piotrowski, a then GLBRC scientist, focused on ionic liquids, solvents that deconstruct different biomass into sugars but are toxic to microorganisms that ferment these sugars.

Using a technique called chemical genomics, Dickinson and Piotrowski engineered a yeast strain that could tolerate ionic liquids. They were able to understand the nature of toxicity of ionic liquids to yeast by identifying and studying genes in yeast that made it sensitive or resistant to ionic liquids.

Their findings helped them engineer a new yeast strain resistant to ionic liquids and with improved sugar conversion and biofuel production. The new strain could also lower the costs of making biofuels.

The technique they used, chemical genomics-guided bio-design, is also novel and has potential for future applications.