Lead Scientist USDA ARS ERRC Wyndmoor, PA, United States
Abstract: One of the significant barriers to biofuel and biomaterial production using renewable biological systems remains the high cost of biomass production and harvesting. Some yeast strains have the potential to greatly increase productivity and improve carbon input cost sustainability by growing mixotrophically on organic carbon derived from low-value agricultural waste. Considerable amounts of a structurally unique sophorolipid glycolipid may be produced by the yeast Pseudohyphozyma bogoriensis. These low molecular weight biosurfactants have significant commercial prospects. Due to their economic importance and numerous industrial applications, genomic DNA sequencing and RNA-Seq were used for assembly of the yeast genome, to help improve understanding of relevant metabolic pathways involved in sophorolipid biosynthesis and secretion. Across the genome, enzymes involved in relevant carbohydrate pathways and known to be associated with organic carbon acquisition and utilization (e.g., cellulase-like and amylase-like) were also identified. Phenotyping studies used to functionally validate the yeast’s genome annotation confirmed the uptake of relevant organic carbon, particularly components that may be derived from cheap agricultural sources. Biomass and sophorolipid production were further characterized from the yeast cultures.
