Release Time:2019-03-12  Hits:

Indexed by: Journal Article

Date of Publication: 2017-07-01

Journal: BIOTECHNOLOGY LETTERS

Included Journals: Scopus、PubMed、EI、SCIE

Volume: 39

Issue: 7

Page Number: 1001-1007

ISSN: 0141-5492

Key Words: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation; Carotenoids; Homologous gene targeting; Rhodosporidium toruloides

Abstract: To target a carotenoid biosynthetic gene in the oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides by using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT) method.
   The RHTO_04602 locus of R. toruloides NP11, previously assigned to code the carotenoid biosynthetic gene CRTI, was amplified from genomic DNA and cloned into the binary plasmid pZPK-mcs, resulting in pZPK-CRT. A HYG-expression cassette was inserted into the CRTI sequence of pZPK-CRT by utilizing the restriction-free clone strategy. The resulted plasmid was used to transform R. toruloides cells according to the AMT method, leading to a few white transformants. Sequencing analysis of those transformants confirmed homologous recombination and insertional inactivation of CRTI. When the white variants were transformed with a CRTI-expression cassette, cells became red and produced carotenoids as did the wild-type strain NP11.
   Successful homologous targeting of the CrtI locus confirmed the function of RHTO_04602 in carotenoids biosynthesis in R. toruloides. It provided valuable information for metabolic engineering of this non-model yeast species.