Biotechnological production of weak organic acids such as succinic acid is most economically advantageous when carried out at low pH. Among naturally occurring microorganisms, several bacterial strains are known to produce considerable amounts of succinic acid under anaerobic conditions but they are inefficient in performing the low-pH fermentation due to their physiological properties. We have proposed therefore a new strategy for construction of an aerobic eukaryotic producer on the basis of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica with a deletion in the gene coding one of succinate dehydrogenase subunits. Firstly, an original in vitro mutagenesis-based approach was proposed to construct strains with Ts mutations in the Y. lipolytica SDH1 gene. These mutants were used to optimize the composition of the media for selection of transformants with the deletion in the Y. lipolytica SDH2 gene. Surprisingly, the defects of each succinate dehydrogenase subunit prevented the growth on glucose but the mutant strains grew on glycerol and produced succinate in the presence of the buffering agent CaCO(3). Subsequent selection of the strain with deleted SDH2 gene for increased viability allowed us to obtain a strain capable of accumulating succinate at the level of more than 45 g L(-1) in shaking flasks with buffering and more than 17 g L(-1) without buffering. The possible effect of the mutations on the utilization of different substrates and perspectives of constructing an industrial producer is discussed.

Bio-based succinate is still a matter of special emphasis in biotechnology and adjacent research areas. The vast majority of natural and engineered producers are bacterial strains that accumulate succinate under anaerobic conditions. Recently, we succeeded in obtaining an aerobic yeast strain capable of producing succinic acid at low pH. Herein, we discuss some difficulties and advantages of microbial pathways producing "succinic acid" rather than "succinate." It was concluded that the peculiar properties of the constructed yeast strain could be clarified in view of a distorted energy balance. There is evidence that in an acidic environment, the majority of the cellular energy available as ATP will be spent for proton and anion efflux. The decreased ATP:ADP ratio could essentially reduce the growth rate or even completely inhibit growth. In the same way, the preference of this elaborated strain for certain carbon sources could be explained in terms of energy balance. Nevertheless, the opportunity to exclude alkali and mineral acid waste from microbial succinate production seems environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

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Bio-based succinic acid production can redirect industrial chemistry processes from using limited hydrocarbons to renewable carbohydrates. A fermentation process that does not require pH-titrating agents will be advantageous to the industry. Previously, a Yarrowia lipolytica strain that was defective for succinate dehydrogenase was constructed and was found to accumulate up to 17.5 g L(-1) of succinic acid when grown on glycerol without buffering. Here, a derivative mutant was isolated that produced 40.5 g L(-1) of succinic acid in 36 h with a yield of 0.32 g g(-1) glycerol. A combination approach of induced mutagenesis and metabolic evolution allowed isolation of another derivative that could utilize glucose efficiently and accumulated 50.2 g L(-1) succinic acid in 54 h with a yield of 0.43 g g(-1) . The parent strain of these isolated mutants was used for [1,6-(13) C2 ]glucose assimilation analysis. At least 35% glucose was estimated to be utilized through the pentose phosphate pathway, while ≥84% succinic acid was formed through the oxidative branch of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2425-2432. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.