Deletion of LsSNF1 enhances lipid accumulation in the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi.

The oleaginous yeast, Lipomyces starkeyi can have diverse industrial applications due to its remarkable capacity to use various carbon sources for the biosynthesis intracellular triacylglycerides (TAGs). In L. starkeyi, TAG synthesis is enhanced through upregulation of genes involved in citrate-mediated acyl-CoA synthesis and Kennedy pathways through the transcriptional regulator LsSpt23p. High expression of LsSPT23 can considerably enhance TAG production. Altering the regulatory factors associated with lipid production can substantially augment lipid productivity. In this study, we identified and examined the L. starkeyi homolog sucrose nonfermenting 1 SNF1 (LsSNF1) of YlSNF1, which encodes a negative regulator of lipid biosynthesis in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The deletion of LsSNF1 enhanced TAG productivity in L. starkeyi, suggesting that LsSnf1p is a negative regulator in TAG production. The enhancement of TAG production following deletion of LsSNF1 can primarily be attributed to the upregulation of genes in the citrate-mediated acyl-CoA synthesis and Kennedy pathways, pivotal routes in TAG biosynthesis. The overexpression of LsSPT23 enhanced lipid productivity; strain overexpressing LsSPT23 and without LsSNF1 exhibited increased TAG production capacity per cell. LsSnf1p also has a significant role in the utilization of carbon sources, including xylose or glycerol, in L. starkeyi. Our study results elucidated the role of LsSnf1p in the negative regulation of TAG synthesis in L. starkeyi, which has not previously been reported.