Curated Optogenetic Publication Database

Abstract: Numerous organisms have evolved the ability to utilize light through photoreceptor proteins that mediate diverse biological processes. Currently, several optogenetic sensor systems are widely used in yeast. However, when these systems are applied for gene repression to regulate endogenous yeast gene expression, they typically require the insertion of corresponding target sites near the native promoter of the gene of interest to achieve precise modulation. To address these constraints, a novel blue light-inducible optogenetic tool designated iLight9 was developed, a single-component optogenetic biosensor integrated with the CRISPR-dCas9 platform. The stability of the iLight9 system was further enhanced by employing a strategy involving the addition of a protein degradation tag. The resulting system was designated as iLight9O, which facilitated programmable regulation of distinct genes through the introduction of specific sgRNAs. Subsequently, systematic metabolic engineering strategies were employed to construct an efficient patchoulol-producing cell factory in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Moreover, a two-step isoprenol utilization (IU) pathway was introduced into the recombinant strain to enhance its capacity for patchoulol biosynthesis. Crucially, the iLight9O system was adopted to dynamically downregulate squalene synthase, a key enzyme in the competing squalene biosynthetic pathway. This optogenetic flux control strategy increased patchoulol titers by 66 % in the IU-optimized strain and 24 % in the MVAIU2 strain, demonstrating significant improvements over static engineering approaches.

Abstract: Demand and consumption of fossil fuels is increasing daily, and oil reserves are depleting. Technological developments are required towards developing sustainable renewable energy sources and microalgae are emerging as a potential candidate for various application-driven research. Molecular understanding attained through omics and system biology approach empowering researchers to modify various metabolic pathways of microalgal system for efficient extraction of biofuel and important biomolecules. This review furnish insight into different "advanced approaches" like optogenetics, systems biology and multi-omics for enhanced production of FAS (Fatty Acid Synthesis) and lipids in microalgae and their associated challenges. These new approaches would be helpful in the path of developing microalgae inspired technological platforms for optobiorefinery, which could be explored as source material to produce biofuels and other valuable bio-compounds on a large scale.