Effect of Ethanol Stress on Fermentation Performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells Immobilized on Nypa fruticans Leaf Sheath Pieces

Electrostatic ethanol fermentation: Experimental study and kinetic-based metabolic modeling

Due to the electrical nature of the cell, it is possible to modulate its behavior through the application of non-lethal external electric fields to improve fermentation processes. In this work, a microbial cell system with a chamber and two electrodes inside and connected to a voltage source was used. One of the electrodes was kept isolated to create an electric field without the flow of current. Cultures with two ethanol-producing microbial strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis) were conducted in this device. The application of voltages between 0 and 18 V was evaluated to determine the impact of the generated electric field on ethanol production. To analyze the possible effect of the field on the central carbon metabolism in each strain, biochemical-based kinetic models were formulated to describe the experimental fermentation kinetics obtained. It was found that low applied voltages did not have significant effects on growth rate in either strain, but all voltages evaluated increased substrate consumption and ethanol production rate in Z. mobilis, while only 18 V affected these rates in S. cerevisiae, indicating that Z. mobilis was the most sensitive to the electric field. At the end of the fermentation, significant increases in ethanol yields of 10.7% and 19.5% were detected for S. cerevisiae and Z. mobilis, respectively. The proposed mathematical models showed that substrate transport through the membrane catalyzed by the phosphotransferase system (PTS) for Z. mobilis and hexose transport proteins mechanism and hexokinase (HK) activity for S. cerevisiae and the transformation of pyruvate to ethanol, catalyzed by the decarboxylase (PDC) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes, were the reactions most affected by the application of the external field.

The ability of Pichia kudriavzevii to tolerate multiple stresses makes it promising for developing improved bioethanol production processes

Thermotolerant ethanol fermenting yeasts have been extensively used in industrial bioethanol production. However, little is known about yeast physiology under stress during bioethanol processing. This study investigated the physiological characteristics of the thermotolerant yeast Pichia kudriavzevii, strains NUNS-4, NUNS-5 and NUNS-6, under the multiple stresses of heat, ethanol and sodium chloride. Results showed that NUNS-4, NUNS-5 and NUNS-6 displayed higher growth rates under each stress condition than the reference strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR5606. Maximum specific growth rates under stresses of heat (45°C), 15% v/v ethanol and 1·0 M sodium chloride were 0·23 ± 0·04 (NUNS-4), 0·11 ± 0·01 (NUNS-5) and 0·15 ± 0·01 h^-1 (NUNS-5), respectively. Morphological features of all yeast studied changed distinctly with the production of granules and vacuoles when exposed to ethanol, and cells were elongated under increased sodium chloride concentration. This study suggests that the three P. kudriavzevii strains are potential candidates to use in industrial-scale fermentation due to a high specific growth rate under multiple stress conditions. Multiple stress-tolerant P. kudriavzevii NUNS strains have received much attention not only for improving large-scale fuel ethanol production, but also for utilizing these strains in other biotechnological industries.

Oenological Characterization of Native Hanseniaspora uvarum Strains

The utilization of native yeast strains associated with a distinct terroir for autochthonous grape types represents a novel trend in winemaking, contributing to the production of unique wines with regional character. Hence, this study aimed to isolate native strains of the yeast H. uvarum from the surface of various fruits and to characterize its fermentation capability in Prokupac grape must. Out of 31 yeasts, 8 isolates were identified as H. uvarum. The isolates were able to grow at low (4 °C) temperatures, SO2 concentrations up to 300 ppm and ethanol concentrations up to 5%. Additionally, they provided a good profile of organic acids during the microvinification of sterile grape must. Although the content of acetic acid (0.54–0.63 g/L) was relatively high, the sniffing test proved that the yeast isolates developed a pleasant aroma characterized as fruity. All H. uvarum isolates produced twice the concentration of glycerol compared to commercial wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, contributing to the fullness and sweetness of the wine. The results for pure and sequential fermentation protocols confirmed that the selected S-2 isolate has good oenological characteristics, the capability to reduce the ethanol content (up to 1% v/v) and a potential to give a distinctive note to Prokupac-grape wines.

Reprogramming of the Ethanol Stress Response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the Transcription Factor Znf1 and Its Effect on the Biosynthesis of Glycerol and Ethanol

High ethanol levels can severely inhibit the growth of yeast cells and fermentation productivity. The ethanologenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae activates several well-defined cellular mechanisms of ethanol stress response (ESR); however, the involved regulatory control remains to be characterized. Here, we report a new transcription factor of ethanol stress adaptation called Znf1. It plays a central role in ESR by activating genes for glycerol and fatty acid production (GUP1, GPP1, GPP2, GPD1, GAT1, and OLE1) to preserve plasma membrane integrity. Importantly, Znf1 also activates genes implicated in cell wall biosynthesis (FKS1, SED1, and SMI1) and in the unfolded protein response (HSP30, HSP104, KAR1, and LHS1) to protect cells from proteotoxic stress. The znf1Δ strain displays increased sensitivity to ethanol, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressor β-mercaptoethanol, and the cell wall-perturbing agent calcofluor white. To compensate for a defective cell wall, the strain lacking ZNF1 or its target SMI1 displays increased glycerol levels of 19.6% and 27.7%, respectively. Znf1 collectively regulates an intricate network of target genes essential for growth, protein refolding, and production of key metabolites. Overexpression of ZNF1 not only confers tolerance to high ethanol levels but also increases ethanol production by 4.6% (8.43 g/liter) or 2.8% (75.78 g/liter) when 2% or 20% (wt/vol) glucose, respectively, is used as a substrate, compared to that of the wild-type strain. The mutually stress-responsive transcription factors Msn2/4, Hsf1, and Yap1 are associated with some promoters of Znf1’s target genes to promote ethanol stress tolerance. In conclusion, this work implicates the novel regulator Znf1 in coordinating expression of ESR genes and illuminates the unifying transcriptional reprogramming during alcoholic fermentation.

IMPORTANCE The yeast S. cerevisiae is a major microbe that is widely used in food and nonfood industries. However, accumulation of ethanol has a negative effect on its growth and limits ethanol production. The Znf1 transcription factor has been implicated as a key regulator of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in the utilization of different carbon sources, including glucose, the most abundant sugar on earth, and nonfermentable substrates. Here, the role of Znf1 in ethanol stress response is defined. Znf1 actively reprograms expression of genes linked to the unfolded protein response (UPR), heat shock response, glycerol and carbohydrate metabolism, and biosynthesis of cell membrane and cell wall components. A complex interplay among transcription factors of ESR indicates transcriptional fine-tuning as the main mechanism of stress adaptation, and Znf1 plays a major regulatory role in the coordination. Understanding the adaptive ethanol stress mechanism is crucial to engineering robust yeast strains for enhanced stress tolerance or increased ethanol production.

Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis of Mechanisms Underlying Yeast Ethanol Tolerance

For yeast cells, tolerance to high levels of ethanol is vital both in their natural environment and in industrially relevant conditions. We recently genotyped experimentally evolved yeast strains adapted to high levels of ethanol and identified mutations linked to ethanol tolerance. In this study, by integrating genomic sequencing data with quantitative proteomics profiles from six evolved strains (data set identifier PXD006631) and construction of protein interaction networks, we elucidate exactly how the genotype and phenotype are related at the molecular level. Our multi-omics approach points to the rewiring of numerous metabolic pathways affected by genomic and proteomic level changes, from energy-producing and lipid pathways to differential regulation of transposons and proteins involved in cell cycle progression. One of the key differences is found in the energy-producing metabolism, where the ancestral yeast strain responds to ethanol by switching to respiration and employing the mitochondrial electron transport chain. In contrast, the ethanol-adapted strains appear to have returned back to energy production mainly via glycolysis and ethanol fermentation, as supported by genomic and proteomic level changes. This work is relevant for synthetic biology where systems need to function under stressful conditions, as well as for industry and in cancer biology, where it is important to understand how the genotype relates to the phenotype.