Genetic engineering of the β-oxidation pathway in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to increase the production of aroma compounds

The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica possesses five acyl-CoA oxidases (Aox1 p to 5), the enzyme catalysing the first reaction of P-oxidation. The understanding of the specific role of each acyl-CoA oxidase is important to construct a yeast strain growing at a good rate and able to produce without degrading the aroma compound gamma-decalactone. In this study we observed that Aox4p exhibits a slight activity on a broad spectrum of substrates and that it is involved in lactone degradation. We constructed a strain lacking this activity. Its growth was only slightly altered and it produced 10 times more lactone than the wild type in 48 h. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.