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The membrane proteins acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT) are essential actors for triglycerides (TG) biosynthesis in eukaryotic organisms. Microbial production of TG is of interest for producing biofuel and value-added novel oils. In the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, Dga1p enzyme from the DGAT2 family plays a major role in TG biosynthesis. Producing recombinant DGAT enzymes pure and catalytically active is difficult, hampering their detailed functional characterization. In this report, we expressed in Escherichia coli and purified two soluble and active forms of Y. lipolytica Dga1p as fusion proteins: the first one lacking the N-terminal hydrophilic segment (Dga1pΔ19), the second one also devoid of the N-terminal putative transmembrane domain (Dga1pΔ85). Most DGAT assays are performed on membrane fractions or microsomes, using radiolabeled substrates. We implemented a fluorescent assay in order to decipher the substrate specificity of purified Dga1p enzymes. Both enzyme versions prefer acyl-CoA saturated substrates to unsaturated ones. Dga1pΔ85 preferentially uses long-chain saturated substrates. Dga1p activities are inhibited by niacin, a specific DGAT2 inhibitor. The N-terminal transmembrane domain appears important, but not essential, for TG biosynthesis. The soluble and active proteins described here could be useful tools for future functional and structural studies in order to better understand and optimize DGAT enzymes for biotechnological applications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exist.

Lipases are currently the subject of intensive studies due to their large range of industrial applications. The Lip2p lipase from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica (YlLIP2) was recently shown to be a good candidate for different biotechnological applications. Using a combination of comparative genomics approaches based on sequence similarity, synteny conservation, and phylogeny, we constructed the evolutionary scenario of the lipase family for six species of the Yarrowia clade. RNA-seq based transcriptome analysis revealed the primary role of LIP2 homologues in the assimilation of different substrates. Once identified, these YlLIP2 homologues were expressed in Y. lipolytica. The lipase Lip2a from Candida phangngensis was shown to naturally present better activity and enantioselectivity than YlLip2. Enantioselectivity was further improved by site-directed mutagenesis targeted to the substrate binding site. The mono-substituted variant V232S displayed enantioselectivity greater than 200 and a 2.5 fold increase in velocity. A double-substituted variant 97A-V232F presented reversed enantioselectivity, with a total preference for the R-enantiomer.

The non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica possesses an ORF, YALI0E20207g, which encodes a protein with an amino acid sequence similar to hexokinases from different organisms. We have cloned that gene and determined several enzymatic properties of its encoded protein showing that it is an N-acetylglucosamine (NAGA) kinase. This conclusion was supported by the lack of growth in NAGA of a strain carrying a YALI0E20207g deletion. We named this gene YlNAG5. Expression of YlNAG5 as well as that of the genes encoding the enzymes of the NAGA catabolic pathway-identified by a BLAST search-was induced by this sugar. Deletion of YlNAG5 rendered that expression independent of the presence of NAGA in the medium and reintroduction of the gene restored the inducibility, indicating that YlNag5 participates in the transcriptional regulation of the NAGA assimilatory pathway genes. Expression of YlNAG5 was increased during sporulation and homozygous Ylnag5/Ylnag5 diploid strains sporulated very poorly as compared with a wild type isogenic control strain pointing to a participation of the protein in the process. Overexpression of YlNAG5 allowed growth in glucose of an Ylhxk1glk1 double mutant and produced, in a wild type background, aberrant morphologies in different media. Expression of the gene in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae hxk1 hxk2 glk1 triple mutant restored ability to grow in glucose.

A modified thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction was performed to obtain the first yeast laccase gene (YlLac) from the isolated yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The 1557-bp full-length cDNA of YlLac encoded a mature laccase protein containing 519 amino acids preceded by a signal peptide of 19 amino acids, and the YlLac gene was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. YlLac is a monomeric glycoprotein with a molecular mass of ~55 kDa as determined by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. It showed a higher catalytic efficiency towards 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (kcat/Km = 17.5 s(-1) μM(-1)) and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (kcat/Km = 16.1 s(-1) μM(-1)) than other reported laccases. The standard redox potential of the T1 site of the enzyme was found to be 772 mV. The highest catalytic efficiency of the yeast recombinant laccase, YlLac, makes it a good candidate for industrial applications: it removes phenolic compounds in acid-pretreated woody biomass (Populus balsamifera) and enhanced saccharification.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), a housekeeping gene, has drawn the attention of cancer experts. Mutation of the catalytic Arg132 residue of human IDH1 (HcIDH) eliminates the enzyme's wild-type isocitrate oxidation activity, but confer the mutant an ability of reducing α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) to 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). To examine whether an analogous mutation in IDHs of other eukaryotes could cause similar effects, two yeast mitochondrial IDHs, Saccharomyces cerevisiae NADP+-IDH1 (ScIDH1) and Yarrowia lipolytica NADP+-IDH (YlIDH), were studied. The analogous Arg residues (Arg148 of ScIDH1 and Arg141 of YlIDH) were mutated to His. The Km values of ScIDH1 R148H and YlIDH R141H for isocitrate were determined to be 2.4-fold and 2.2-fold higher, respectively, than those of the corresponding wild-type enzymes. The catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) of ScIDH1 R148H and YlIDH R141H for isocitrate oxidation were drastically reduced by 227-fold and 460-fold, respectively, of those of the wild-type enzymes. As expected, both ScIDH1 R148H and YlIDH R141H acquired the neomorphic activity of catalyzing α-KG to 2-HG, and the generation of 2-HG was confirmed using gas chromatography/time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC/TOF-MS). Kinetic analysis showed that ScIDH1 R148H and YlIDH R141H displayed 5.2-fold and 3.3-fold higher affinities, respectively, for α-KG than the HcIDH R132H mutant. The catalytic efficiencies of ScIDH1 R148H and YlIDH R141H for α-KG were 5.5-fold and 4.5-fold, respectively, of that of the HcIDH R132H mutant. Since the HcIDH Arg132 mutation is associated with the tumorigenesis, this study provides fundamental information for further research on the physiological role of this IDH mutation in vivo using yeast.

To develop a direct microbial sugar conversion platform for the production of lipids, drop-in fuels and chemicals from cellulosic biomass substrate, we chose Yarrowia lipolytica as a viable demonstration strain. Y. lipolytica is known to accumulate lipids intracellularly and is capable of metabolizing sugars to produce lipids; however, it lacks the lignocellulose-degrading enzymes needed to break down biomass directly. While research is continuing on the development of a Y. lipolytica strain able to degrade cellulose, in this study, we present successful expression of several xylanases in Y. lipolytica. The XynII and XlnD expressing Yarrowia strains exhibited an ability to grow on xylan mineral plates. This was shown by Congo Red staining of halo zones on xylan mineral plates. Enzymatic activity tests further demonstrated active expression of XynII and XlnD in Y. lipolytica. Furthermore, synergistic action in converting xylan to xylose was observed when XlnD acted in concert with XynII. The successful expression of these xylanases in Yarrowia further advances us toward our goal to develop a direct microbial conversion process using this organism.

Fatty acid-derived biofuels and biochemicals can be produced in microbes using β-oxidation pathway engineering. In this study, the β-oxidation pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered to accumulate a higher ratio of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) when cells were grown on fatty acid-rich feedstock. For this purpose, the haploid deletion strain Δpox1 was obtained, in which the sole acyl-CoA oxidase encoded by POX1 was deleted. Next, the POX2 gene from Yarrowia lipolytica, which encodes an acyl-CoA oxidase with a preference for long chain acyl-CoAs, was expressed in the Δpox1 strain. The resulting Δpox1 [pox2+] strain exhibited a growth defect because the β-oxidation pathway was blocked in peroxisomes. To unblock the β-oxidation pathway, the gene CROT, which encodes carnitine O-octanoyltransferase, was expressed in the Δpox1 [pox2+] strain to transport the accumulated medium chain acyl-coAs out of the peroxisomes. The obtained Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] strain grew at a normal rate. The effect of these genetic modifications on fatty acid accumulation and profile was investigated when the strains were grown on oleic acids-containing medium. It was determined that the engineered strains Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] had increased fatty acid accumulation and an increased ratio of MCFAs. Compared to the wild-type (WT) strain, the total fatty acid production of the strains Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] were increased 29.5% and 15.6%, respectively. The intracellular level of MCFAs in Δpox1 [pox2+] and Δpox1 [pox2+, crot+] increased 2.26- and 1.87-fold compared to the WT strain, respectively. In addition, MCFAs in the culture medium increased 3.29-fold and 3.34-fold compared to the WT strain. These results suggested that fatty acids with an increased MCFAs ratio accumulate in the engineered strains with a modified β-oxidation pathway. Our approach exhibits great potential for transforming low value fatty acid-rich feedstock into high value fatty acid-derived products.

Microbial mannanases are biotechnologically important enzymes since they target the hydrolysis of hemicellulosic polysaccharides of softwood biomass into simple molecules like manno-oligosaccharides and mannose. In this study, we have implemented a strategy of molecular engineering in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to improve the specific activity of two fungal endo-mannanases, PaMan5A and PaMan26A, which belong to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) families GH5 and GH26, respectively. Following random mutagenesis and two steps of high-throughput enzymatic screening, we identified several PaMan5A and PaMan26A mutants that displayed improved kinetic constants for the hydrolysis of galactomannan. Examination of the three-dimensional structures of PaMan5A and PaMan26A revealed which of the mutated residues are potentially important for enzyme function. Among them, the PaMan5A-G311S single mutant, which displayed an impressive 8.2-fold increase in kcat /KM due to a significant decrease of KM, is located within the core of the enzyme. The PaMan5A-K139R/Y223H double mutant revealed modification of hydrolysis products probably in relation to an amino-acid substitution located nearby one of the positive subsites. The PaMan26A-P140L/D416G double mutant yielded a 30% increase in kcat /KM compared to the parental enzyme. It displayed a mutation in the linker region (P140L) that may confer more flexibility to the linker and another mutation (D416G) located at the entrance of the catalytic cleft that may promote the entrance of the substrate into the active site. Taken together, these results show that the directed evolution strategy implemented in this study was very pertinent since a straightforward round of random mutagenesis yielded significantly improved variants, in terms of catalytic efiiciency (kcat/KM).

Yarrowia lipolytica is a dimorphic yeast that efficiently secretes various heterologous proteins and is classified as "generally recognized as safe." Therefore, it is an attractive protein production host. However, yeasts modify glycoproteins with non-human high mannose-type N-glycans. These structures reduce the protein half-life in vivo and can be immunogenic in man. Here, we describe how we genetically engineered N-glycan biosynthesis in Yarrowia lipolytica so that it produces Man(3)GlcNAc(2) structures on its glycoproteins. We obtained unprecedented levels of homogeneity of this glycanstructure. This is the ideal starting point for building human-like sugars. Disruption of the ALG3 gene resulted in modification of proteins mainly with Man(5)GlcNAc(2) and GlcMan(5)GlcNAc(2) glycans, and to a lesser extent with Glc(2)Man(5)GlcNAc(2) glycans. To avoid underoccupancy of glycosylation sites, we concomitantly overexpressed ALG6. We also explored several approaches to remove the terminal glucose residues, which hamper further humanization of N-glycosylation; overexpression of the heterodimeric Apergillus niger glucosidase II proved to be the most effective approach. Finally, we overexpressed an α-1,2-mannosidase to obtain Man(3)GlcNAc(2) structures, which are substrates for the synthesis of complex-type glycans. The final Yarrowia lipolytica strain produces proteins glycosylated with the trimannosyl core N-glycan (Man(3)GlcNAc(2)), which is the common core of all complex-type N-glycans. All these glycans can be constructed on the obtained trimannosyl N-glycan using either in vivo or in vitro modification with the appropriate glycosyltransferases. The results demonstrate the high potential of Yarrowia lipolytica to be developed as an efficient expression system for the production of glycoproteins with humanized glycans.