Researchers Use CRISPR to Engineer Yeast for High-Yield Production of Healthy Fatty Acid
Acid

Prime Highlights: 

The engineered yeast achieved an 80-fold increase in punicic acid content, reaching 26.7%, the highest reported in engineered microorganisms or plants. 

The method offers a sustainable and economical alternative to traditional plant-based sources of punicic acid, without requiring arable land for production. 

The yeast strain maintains stable punicic acid levels, which is critical for large-scale bio- Industrial production, ensuring consistency across multiple fermentation batches. 

Key Background: 

University of Alberta researchers have developed a breakthrough method for producing high quantities of punicic acid, a valuable fatty acid primarily found in pomegranates, through yeast fermentation. The innovation offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution to produce both the fatty acid and yeast biomass, a protein supplement for the food and animal feed industries. 

Punicic acid, derived from pomegranate seed oil, is renowned for its health benefits, including cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. However, the limited oil yield from pomegranate seeds, which have a low seed-to-fruit ratio, makes it an expensive commodity. To address this, researchers employed a CRISPR-based gene-shuffling technique to engineer baker’s yeast, which initially contained no punicic acid, to produce the fatty acid in large amounts. 

Guanqun (Gavin) Chen, a Canada Research Chair in Plant Lipid Biotechnology and study co-author, highlighted the potential of this method to provide a rapid and economical way to produce punicic acid without requiring arable land. The approach also offers opportunities to enhance the nutritional value of sustainable oil sources. 

By utilizing CRISPR-based gene shuffling, the researchers integrated genes potentially involved in punicic acid synthesis into the yeast genome. Unlike traditional methods that test genes one by one, this technique creates a gene library, allowing for a more efficient identification of effective gene combinations. According to study co-author Juli Wang, this approach speeds up the discovery process, ensuring optimal performance by identifying the best gene pairings. 

The researchers achieved an 80-fold increase in punicic acid content, reaching 26.7%, the highest level reported in engineered microorganisms or plants. This milestone indicates strong potential for commercial-scale production. The engineered yeast strain also maintains stable punicic acid levels, ensuring consistency across multiple fermentation batches, which is essential for industrial applications. 

The findings, which have led to a provisional patent application, expand upon previous research into gene-stacking techniques to increase punicic acid levels in yeast. The team now plans to scale the process using lab-scale fermenters, bringing them closer to commercial viability. Furthermore, the CRISPR-based gene shuffling method shows promise for producing other valuable fatty acids, such as those from castor oil, and could lead to the development of a variety of bioproducts. The study was funded by several Canadian research organizations, with Wang receiving support through an Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship. 

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