Congratulations!
Andrei Jepifanov, an MSc student in the Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology curriculum, has successfully defended his thesis
“Metabolic engineering strategies to address limiting xylose uptake in Rhodotorula toruloides“.
Supervisor: Juliano Sabedotti De Biaggi, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Researcher
Reviewer: Evely Ojangu, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Engineer
(Summary of the thesis)
The non-conventional yeast Rhodotorula toruloides is a promising microbial cell factory due to its tolerance to harsh conditions and ability to utilize xylose—a key sugar in wood residues. Improving xylose metabolism could support more sustainable bioprocessing, although its efficiency still lags behind glucose.
This study aimed to enhance growth on xylose by introducing heterologous pathway genes from Candida intermedia, Scheffersomyces stipitis, and Escherichia coli. Transformants were generated using the Lithium Acetate method and screened for growth performance, with gene insertion confirmed by PCR.
While gene integration was successful, no significant improvement in xylose-based growth was observed. Variability among strains was likely due to random genomic integration via non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), as confirmed by PCR.
Further research is needed to evaluate gene expression, analyze byproducts, and explore additional or combined pathway genes to improve xylose utilization and cell growth.
We wish you exciting discoveries and continued success in your future projects!
