ARS | Publication request: GENOMIC ADAPTIVE RESPONSE OF YEAST TO BIOFUEL FERMENTATION INHIBITORS

Submitted to: Society of Industrial Microbiology Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 25, 2005
Publication Date: August 21, 2005
Citation: Liu, Z. 2005. Genomic adaptive response of yeast to biofuel fermentation inhibitors [abstract]. Society of Industrial Microbiology Annual Meeting. Abstract No. S37.

Technical Abstract: Renewable lignocellulosic biomass including agricultural residues has become an attractive potential low-cost feedstock for bioethanol production. One major barrier of biomass conversion to ethanol is inhibitory compounds, generated during biomass pretreatment, which interfere with microbial growth and subsequent fermentation. Among more than 100 potential inhibitory compounds detected, furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are most potent and are representative of inhibitors derived from dehydration of pentose and hexose using economic dilute acid hydrolysis. These fermentation inhibitors damage cell growth, reduce enzymatic and biological activities, break down DNA, and inhibit protein and RNA synthesis. Few yeast strains tolerant to inhibitors are available due to a lack of understanding of mechanisms involved in the stress tolerance for bioethanol fermentation. We studied global gene expression response to the inhibitors and found that ethanologenic yeast showed an earlier adaptive response to cope with the furfural and HMF stress. Significant functional genes and gene groups were identified. This presentation will demonstrate evidence of genomic adaptive response and describe transcriptome dynamics of ethanologenic yeast over the course of fermentation in the presence of the inhibitors.