Yarrowia lipolytica tagged posts

Astronauts could someday benefit from recycling human waste on long space trips using a yeast and  a carbon fixing cyanobacteria or algae
Credit: American Chemical Society

Imagine you’re on your way to Mars, and you lose a crucial tool during a spacewalk. Not to worry, you’ll simply re-enter your spacecraft and use some microorganisms to convert your urine and exhaled CO2 into chemicals to make a new one. That’s one of the ultimate goals of scientists who are developing ways to make long space trips feasible. Astronauts can’t take a lot of spare parts into space because every extra ounce adds to the cost of fuel needed to escape Earth’s gravity...

This is a bright-field microscopy of Yarrowia lipolytica. Gene editing in this yeast strain will lead to new precursors for biofuels and specialty polymers Credit: University of California, Riverside

CRISPR-Cas9 tool expedites production of biofuel precursors and specialty polymers in living systems. The development will lead to new precursors for biofuels, specialty polymers, adhesives and fragrances. The research involves the oleaginous (oil-producing) yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which is known for converting sugars to lipids and hydrocarbons that are difficult to make synthetically. Until now, Y. lipolytica has been hard to manipulate at the genetic level, but the application of CRISPR-Cas9 will change that, allowing scientists to tap into its bio-manufacturing potential.

Unlike traditio...