Robust yeast strains as prerequisite for feasible biofuels production from renewable biomass resources

Other conference contribution, 2013

The extensive research on second-generation ethanol has paved the way to a new concept of industry, where lignocellulosic material is the primary source of sugars for the bio-based production of a number of fuels and chemicals. The technological achievements in biomass pretreatment and hydrolysis allow today to efficiently obtain sugars from cellulose and hemicellulose. However, a number of unwanted compounds, acting as microorganism inhibitors, are released from sugars and lignin breakdown as well. In addition, the product of interest can act as a potent inhibitor. Regardless of the product, robust microorganisms are a prerequisite for the feasibility of lignocellulose-based bioprocesses. Current research carried out by our group aims at investigating the molecular bases of microbial robustness, with a major focus on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The molecular targets of different classes of fermentation inhibitors can be identified and used as cues for new strategies to engineer more robust strains. During the presentation, the concept of robustness will be discussed and examples of key features for S. cerevisiae robustness will be presented.