Xylose Utilising Recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

Through metabolic engineering, S. cerevisiae was provided with the necessary enzymes required for xylose utilisation during ethanolic fermentation of xylose-rich lignocellulose raw materials. For xylitol production, S. cerevisiae was provided with the Pichia stipitis XYL1 gene encoding xylose reductase (XR). The in-vivo reduction and the following excretion of xylitol, requires a co-substrate for maintenance and cofactor regeneration. Xylitol yields close to 100% were obtained with the XYL1 containing S. cerevisiae. Introducing P. stipitis XYL1 and XYL2 genes, encoding XR and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH), respectively, enabled S. cerevisiae to convert xylose to xylulose, via xylitol. During the screening work of P. stipitis XDH gene, another gene encoding a polyol dehydrogenase was isolated and cloned in S. cerevisiae. The gene was identified as a D-arabinitol dehydrogenase gene. In P. stipitis it may function as a redox sink by reducing D-ribulose to D-arabinitol. The metabolism through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) was enhanced by overexpressing the native genes TKL1 and TAL1 encoding transketolase and transaldolase, respectively, resulting in improved xylose utilisation. The XR and XDH activities in recombinant S. cerevisiae were produced at different levels by constructing yeast vectors in which the PGK1 and ADHI promoters controlled XYL1 and XYL2. With higher XDH than XR activities, less by-products, in the form of xylitol and glycerol, were formed by the recombinant S. cerevisiae strains. The Thermus thermophilus xylA gene encoding a thermostable xylose isomerase was cloned and expressed in S. cerevisiae. The recombinant xylose isomerase was actively produced and a new functional metabolic pathway was established in S. cerevisiae resulting in ethanol production from xylose.