Regulation of lipid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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As the world seeks to move away from dependence on petroleum as a primary source for fuels and chemicals there is growing interest in developing the bioeconomy to find replacements. A primary biological source of oils is plants like canola and palm. The oil from these sources is renewable but we have limited control over its composition and properties. Additionally, there is an inherent problem with using food oil for chemical or fuel production. This problem is amplified in parts of the world where palm plantations cover enormous swaths of the arable land leading to burning of rainforest and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, industries that depend on these oils and products face a supply chain that can be disrupted by a poor growing season, or fungal infection. Yeast cells can convert low value biomass into oils referred to as single cell oils. The goal of this research program is to discover how the production and composition of these oils is controlled. We employ a variety of cutting edge technologies to investigate oil production in yeast with an emphasis on how numerous enzyme activities in the cells are coordinated to create products with specific properties. We aim to use this information to modify the cells to produce oil and bioproducts that would otherwise be produced from petrochemicals or that are rare and difficult to produce from vegetable sources. We have discovered that there are specific physical interactions among enzymes that produce mono-unsaturated fatty acids that trap those fatty acids into a pathway that limits them from flowing toward other products. We seek to define these interactions to increase our understanding of lipid biosynthesis and aid us in drawing a roadmap to guide our efforts in engineering cells to become designer factories that produce desired oils or bioproducts with specific properties "on demand". Indeed microbial cells have the potential to produce oils like poly-unsaturated omega 3 oils or cacao butter that are valuable but difficult or impossible to synthesize chemically. The biotechnology and bioproducts sector is rapidly expanding in Canada and my research program aims to provide not only technology but also high trained personnel with skills in state of the art applications to drive this sector and fill the high skilled positions necessary for its success.