Optimizing Triacylglycerol Production Using the Crabtree Positive Fission Yeast, Schizosaccharomyces Pombe

The feasibility of biofuels as an efficient source of energy relies heavily on the efficiency of the organism to produce correct metabolites needed for biofuel production.  Crabtree positive yeasts, which include Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, direct a majority of available carbon towards ethanol, whereas traditionally considered oleaginous species such Y. lipolytica have minimal alcohol production. To date, the utilization of fission yeast as a biodiesel producing platform has yet to be fully investigated, so here we genetically engineered S. pombe to maximize triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. By overexpressing genes previously determined to enhance TAG yields as well as redirecting precursors of ethanol, we were able to achieve significantly higher triacylglycerol titers.