Advances in efficient biosynthesis of erythritol by metabolic engineering of Yarrowia lipolytica

Abstract:

Erythritol is a novel 4-carbon sugar alcohol produced by microbes in the presence of hyper-osmotic stress. It has excellent potential to serve as an alternative sugar for people with diabetes and also a platform compound for synthesizing various C4 compounds, such as 1,3-butadiene, 1,4-butanediol, 2,5-dihydrofuran and so on. Compared with other polyols, the fermentative production of erythritol is more challenging. Yarrowia lipolytica is the preferred chassis of erythritol biosynthesis for its high-titer and high-productivity. At present, there are still some bottlenecks in the production of erythritol by Y. lipolytica, such as weak metabolic activity, abundant by-products, and low industrial attributes. Progress has been made in tailoring high version strains according to industrial needs. For example, the highest titer of erythritol produced by the metabolically engineered Y. lipolytica reached 196 g/L and 150 g/L, respectively, by using glucose or glycerol as the carbon sources. However, further improving its production performance becomes challenging. This review summarizes the research progress in the synthesis of erythritol by Y. lipolytica from the perspectives of erythritol producing strains, metabolic pathways, modular modifications, and auxiliary strategies to enhance the industrial properties of the engineered strain. Key nodes in the metabolic pathway and their combination strategies are discussed to guide the research on promoting the production of erythritol by Y. lipolytica.