Engineering a sustainable system for pectin-based lipid metabolism through modular co-utilization of two Kluyveromyces marxianus strains

Pectin bioconversion from renewable feedstocks represents an appealing and sustainable production route. However, the microbial valorization of pectin is not well developed and requires an efficient expression of key enzymes. Here, a constructed biological system successfully drove pectin-based lipid metabolism by collaborative utilization of two engineered Kluyveromyces marxianus strains. The YKM1013 strain with an overexpression of the PGU1 gene served to break down pectin, resulting in a 65% improvement in conversion rate. And the YKM1015 strain with an additional central D-galacturonic acid (D-galUA) metabolic pathway effectively utilized the available D-galUA components. The developed strategy enabled an effective bioconversion of pectin-based lipid metabolism, with an increasing of 19-fold in medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) and 6-fold in long-chain fatty acid (LCFA). Collectively, this study provided a feasible and sustainable bioconversion route for transforming pectin into chemicals that can be employed in the construction of a microbial cell factory platform for pectin valorization.