Scientists found an unexpected oil substitute

Japanese scientists have developed a strain of baker's yeast capable of surviving hundreds of times better in aggressive environments and efficiently producing valuable organic compounds for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. This could bring us closer to creating environmentally friendly biotechnologies that can replace petrochemical production. The work was published in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (AMB).

The research was conducted by a group led by Associate Professor Resuke Yamada from Osaka City University. The focus was on 2,3-butanediol - a substance widely used in the production of medicines, cosmetics, and chemical materials. It can be obtained using microorganisms, however, the main "biofactory" - Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast - is hindered by its own product: at high concentrations, 2,3-butanediol becomes toxic to them.

Because of this, the yeast stops growing and sharply reduces the production of the substance, which makes the industrial application of the technology economically unprofitable.

To solve the problem, researchers applied the method of directed mutagenesis - they made changes to the yeast genome and selected the most resistant variants. During the experiments, four modified strains were obtained, which were subjected to several stresses simultaneously: ethanol, high temperature, acidic environment, and elevated concentrations of 2,3-butanediol.

As a result, the YPH499/Co58 strain was isolated, which showed an amazing result: under conditions of high concentration of 2,3-butanediol, it reproduced 122 times more actively than the original yeast.

Genetic analysis showed that resistance is associated with the activation of a whole set of cellular mechanisms. Cells became more efficient at dealing with toxic loads and maintaining energy balance.

According to scientists, this strategy opens the way to the development of sustainable biotechnologies that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels and make the production of chemical compounds more environmentally friendly. In the future, modified microorganisms could be used for the "green" synthesis of fuels, medicines, and components for industry.