Increasing Isobutanol Production in Yeast
Author Information
Author(s): Chen Xiao, Nielsen Kristian F, Borodina Irina, Kielland-Brandt Morten C, Karhumaa Kaisa
Primary Institution: Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark
Hypothesis
Can overexpression of specific genes in valine metabolism increase isobutanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae?
Conclusion
Overexpression of genes ILV2, ILV3, ILV5, and BAT2 significantly increased isobutanol production in S. cerevisiae, while overexpression of ILV6 had a negative effect.
Supporting Evidence
- Isobutanol yield improved from 0.16 to 0.97 mg per g glucose with ILV2, ILV3, and ILV5 overexpression.
- Further increase to 1.94 mg per g glucose with additional BAT2 overexpression.
- Overexpression of ILV6 decreased isobutanol yield by threefold.
Takeaway
Scientists found a way to make yeast produce more isobutanol, a type of alcohol that can be used as fuel, by changing some of its genes. But adding one more gene actually made it produce less.
Methodology
The study involved overexpressing genes ILV2, ILV3, ILV5, ILV6, and BAT2 in S. cerevisiae and measuring isobutanol production under anaerobic and aerobic conditions.
Limitations
The study did not investigate which specific gene(s) were necessary to achieve the increased isobutanol yield.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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