Production of resveratrol from p-coumaric acid in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase and stilbene synthase genes.

Resveratrol is a well-known polyphenol present in red wine and exerts antioxidative and anti-carcinogenic effects on the human body. To produce resveratrol in a food-grade yeast, the 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase gene (4CL1) from Arabidopsis thaliana and stilbene synthase gene (STS) from Arachis hypogaea were cloned and transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303-1A. The resveratrol produced was unglycosylated and secreted into the culture medium. A batch culture with 15.3mg/l p-coumaric acid used as precursor resulted in the production of 3.1mg/l resveratrol with 14.4 mol% yield. Deletion of the putative phenyl acrylic acid decarboxylase gene (PAD1) did not enhance resveratrol production.