Advances in production of high-value lipids by oleaginous yeasts

Abstract

The global market for high-value fatty acids production, mainly omega-3/6, hydroxy fatty-acids, waxes and their derivatives, has seen strong development in the last decade. The reason for this growth was the increasing utilization of these lipids as significant ingredients for cosmetics, food and the oleochemical industries. The large demand for these compounds resulted in a greater scientific interest in research focused on alternative sources of oil production -among which microorganisms attracted the most attention. Microbial oil production offers the possibility to engineer the pathways and store lipids enriched with the desired fatty acids. Moreover, costly chemical steps are avoided and direct commercial use of these fatty acids is available. Among all microorganisms, the oleaginous yeasts have become the most promising hosts for lipid production -their efficient lipogenesis, ability to use various (often highly affordable) carbon sources, feasible large-scale cultivations and wide range of available genetic engineering tools turns them into powerful micro-factories. This review is an in-depth description of the recent developments in the engineering of the lipid biosynthetic pathway with oleaginous yeasts. The different classes of valuable lipid compounds with their derivatives are described and their importance for human health and industry is presented. The emphasis is also placed on the optimization of culture conditions in order to improve the yield and titer of these valuable compounds. Furthermore, the important economic aspects of the current microbial oil production are discussed.

The Role of Hexokinase and Hexose Transporters in Preferential Use of Glucose over Fructose and Downstream Metabolic Pathways in the Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

“…r xmax = X f − X i t f − t i (2) where X i and X f are biomass concentrations at the beginning and end of the logarithmic growth phase, respectively, [g/L] and t f and t i represent time of culture at the beginning and end of the logarithmic growth phase, respectively [h].…”

“…The oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is an industrial micro-organism used for production of complex biological compounds such as tailor-made lipids [1,2], biofuel precursors [3] or industrial and therapeutic enzymes [4,5], as well as more compact molecules such as acidifying agent citric acid [6] and low-calorie sweeteners, including erythritol and mannitol [7,8]. Substrates can be chosen among hydrophobic carbon sources (n-alkanes, oils and fats) and hydrophilic ones, such as glycerol, monosaccharides and organic acids.…”

Cocktail biosynthesis of triacylglycerol by rational modulation of diacylglycerol acyltransferases in industrial oleaginous Aurantiochytrium

“…Oils produced by oleaginous microorganisms are an attractive lipid resource, because their manufacturing process is independence from season, climate, and location, and they can be synthesized using a wide range of carbon sources. Microbial oils include triacylglycerol (TAG), sterol esters, as well as phospholipids and glycolipids [ 1 ]. TAG is the main form of storage lipid in oleaginous cells, and each TAG molecule is formed by attaching three fatty acids to a glycerol backbone.…”

Microbes: A Hidden Treasure of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

“…This development has been accompanied by the creation of novel synthetic biology techniques and gene editing technology for Y. lipolytica . The metabolic engineering of Y. lipolytica has produced different unusual fatty acids, such as ricinoleic acid ( 144 , 145 ). The variety of lipids produced by oleaginous Y. lipolytica is expected to rise in the coming years to cope with the increasing demand.…”