Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, led by Professor Zhou Yongjin, have made significant strides in enhancing the biosynthetic output of valuable compounds through lifespan engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as yeast. Their landmark research was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This illustrates that when lifespan engineering strategies are joined with metabolic pathway optimization, sclareol, a desirable diterpene alcohol may be produced efficiently from Salvia sclarea.
In this cutting-edge study, the group went after maximizing the cellular longevity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a systematic way. By focusing on four core dimensions—nutrient sensing, mitophagy, protein homeostasis, and genomic stability—they sought to amplify the yeast’s metabolic potential. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of these improvements in substantially increasing sclareol production.
Enhancing Yeast Metabolism
Through suppression of nutrient sensing, the researchers were able to promote mitophagy in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This synergy led to enhanced central metabolism and increased cellular robustness. These alterations influenced the chronological lifespan of the yeast cells as well and controlled metabolic relevant gene expression.
The paper demonstrated that these improvements greatly accelerated product synthesis. This tended to be the case during the later growth stages of the yeast as well. This third finding is the most surprising and significant. It demonstrates that carefully cell conditioning can significantly increase yields of valuable compounds such as sclareol.
Impressive Production Levels Achieved
Working with a high-producing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the team obtained a sclareol production level that reached 25.9 g/L. This success underscores the promise of tailor-made yeast strains as versatile, powerful microbial cell factories fit for modern biomanufacturing workflows. The comprehensive nature of the study carried out by the research team highlights the need to consider cellular lifespan in terms of yield of desired product.
We used omics analysis to understand how these improvements positively altered the production host Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using this approach allowed us to gain significant understanding of its metabolic roles and life span. Capacity-predictive studies of this caliber are necessary in order to establish sustainable and economical biomanufacturing plans.
A Sustainable Future for Biomanufacturing
The impacts of this study go beyond just sclareol production. Professor Zhou underscores the larger implications of their discoveries. They come to these conclusions, most notably, by explicitly linking chronological lifespan with capacity for biosynthesis.
“Our work not only establishes a clear connection between chronological lifespan and biosynthesis capacity for improving sclareol production, but also offers a feasible longevity engineering strategy that can be applied to diverse microbial cell factories for sustainable and economical biomanufacturing,” – Prof. Zhou.
This innovative approach to lifespan engineering opens new avenues for optimizing microbial production systems, potentially transforming how valuable compounds are synthesized in various industries.