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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bioenergy Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403717
Research Project: New Bioproducts for Advanced Biorefineries

Location: Bioenergy Research

Title: Constructing diploid Rhodosporidium toruloides yeast for production of single cell oil

Author
item DIAS LOPES, DAIANE - Orise Fellow
item Dien, Bruce
item SINGH, VIJAY - University Of Illinois
item JAGTAP, SUJIT - University Of Illinois
item RAO, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Illinois
item Hector, Ronald - Ron

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/2023
Publication Date: 8/13/2023
Citation: Dias Lopes, D., Dien, B.S., Singh, V., Jagtap, S., Rao, C., Hector, R.E. 2023. Constructing diploid Rhodosporidium toruloides yeast for production of single cell oil [abstract]. American Chemical Society Abstracts. Poster.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rhodosporidium toruloides (RT) is an oleaginous yeast species with increasing industrial interest because of its robust growth characteristics and high lipid yields. Yeast strains are also robust for growth and lipid production on unrefined lignocellulosic sugars. Polyploid yeast are favored in general for industrial use because mating gives the yeast hybrid vigor and allows for increased population diversity. Increased diversity is generated by direct mating and selection of the most adapted progeny or by the fusion of protoplasts between yeasts with desired characteristics. However, diploids formed by mating RT strains of opposite mating types typically show a pseudo-mycelial growth pattern. They also sporulate to regenerate haploid cells making the diploid state unstable. An alternate strategy being explored is to use protoplast fusion to construct diploid strains from strains with the same mating type. RT diploids created in this manner are expected to not sporulate and to show budding yeast-like growth. To this end, we have successfully developed a colony PCR method to conveniently identify mating type for RT strains and a fluorescence-based DNA straining method to determine cell ploidy. Further work on introduction of antibiotic selection markers and forming protoplasts is continuing, which are the next steps required to prepare diploids.