Lipomyces starkeyi: an emerging cell factory for production of lipids, oleochemicals and biotechnology applications.

Oils and oleochemicals produced by microbial cells offer an attractive alternative to petroleum and food-crop derived oils for the production of transport fuel and oleochemicals. An emerging candidate for industrial single cell oil production is the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi. This yeast is capable of accumulating storage lipids to concentrations greater than 60% of the dry cell weight. From the perspective of industrial biotechnology L. starkeyi is an excellent chassis for single-cell oil and oleochemical production as it can use a wide variety of carbon and nitrogen sources as feedstock. The strain has been used to produce lipids from hexose and pentose sugars derived from cellulosic hydrolysates as well as crude glycerol and even sewage sludge. L. starkeyi also produces glucanhydrolases that have a variety of industrial applications and displays potential to be employed for bioremediation. Despite its excellent properties for biotechnology applications, adoption of L. starkeyi as an industrial chassis has been hindered by the difficulty of genetically manipulating the strain. This review will highlight the industrial potential of L. starkeyi as a chassis for the production of lipids, oleochemicals and other biochemicals. Additionally, we consider progress and challenges in engineering this organism for industrial applications.