Prenylated flavonoids possess a wide
variety of biological activities,
including estrogenic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities.
Hence, they have potential applications in food products, medicines,
or supplements with health-promoting activities. However, the low
abundance of prenylated flavonoids in nature is limiting their exploitation.
Therefore, we investigated the prospect of producing prenylated flavonoids
in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As a proof of concept, we focused on the production of the potent
phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin. Introduction of the flavonoid prenyltransferase
SfFPT from Sophora flavescens in naringenin-producing
yeast strains resulted in de novo production of 8-prenylnaringenin.
We generated several strains with increased production of the intermediate
precursor naringenin, which finally resulted in a production of 0.12
mg L–1 (0.35 μM) 8-prenylnaringenin under
shake flask conditions. A number of bottlenecks in prenylated flavonoid
production were identified and are discussed.
Fatty acid metabolism has been widely studied in various organisms. However, fatty acid transport has received less attention, even though it plays vital physiological roles, such as export of toxic free fatty acids or uptake of exogenous fatty acids.Hence, there are important knowledge gaps in how fatty acids cross biological membranes, and many mechanisms and proteins involved in these processes still need to be determined. The lack of information is more predominant in microorganisms, even though the identification of fatty acids transporters in these cells could lead to establishing new drug targets or improvements in microbial cell factories. This review provides a thorough analysis of the current information on fatty
Oleaginous yeasts are typically defined as those able to accumulate more than 20% of their cell dry weight as lipids or triacylglycerides. Research on these yeasts has increased lately fuelled by an interest to use biotechnology to produce lipids and oleochemicals that can substitute those coming from fossil fuels or offer sustainable alternatives to traditional extractions (e.g., palm oil). Some oleaginous yeasts are attracting attention both in research and industry, with Yarrowia lipolytica one of the best-known and studied ones. Oleaginous yeasts can be found across several clades and different metabolic adaptations have been found, affecting not only fatty acid and neutral lipid synthesis, but also lipid particle stability and degradation. Recently, many novel oleaginous yeasts are being discovered, including oleaginous strains of the traditionally considered nonoleaginous Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the face of this boom, a closer analysis of the definition of "oleaginous yeast" reveals that this term has instrumental value for biotechnology, while it does not give information about distinct types of yeasts.Having this perspective in mind, we propose to expand the term "oleaginous yeast"
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has forced educational provision to suddenly shift to a digital environment all around the globe. During these extraordinary times of teaching and learning both the challenges and the opportunities of embedding technologically enhanced education permanently became evident. Even though reinforced by constraints due to the pandemic, teaching through digital tools increases the portfolio of approaches to reach learning outcomes in general. In order to reap the full benefits, this Minireview displays various initiatives and tools for distance education in the area of Synthetic Biology in higher education while taking into account specific constraints of teaching Synthetic Biology from a distance, such as collaboration, laboratory and practical experiences. The displayed teaching resources can benefit current and future educators and raise awareness about a diversified inventory of teaching formats as a starting point to reflect upon one's own teaching and its further advancement.
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