Yeast Systems Biotechnology for Production of Value-Added Biochemicals

Abstract

Among the microbial cell factories used in biotechnological research, the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has been recognized as a popular host for expressing protein molecules due to various favorable physiological factors. Although many experimental studies have been performed on P. pastoris, a rational framework for engineering the yeast still eludes researchers. Thus, a systems biotechnology approach, which incorporates high-throughput omics data analysis, in silico modeling and wet-lab experiments, was employed to examine the physiology of P. pastoris for industrial applications. Computational tools were developed to systematically analyze the living system mainly in the aspects of metabolism and protein expression to identify potential strategies for improving the production capability of P. pastoris. The novel methods for performing genome-scale metabolic model analysis and synthetic gene optimization were shown to be useful for rational engineering of microbes. Hence, the developed in silico procedures can potentially become valuable tools for future systems biotechnological research.