HAA1 and PRS3 overexpression boosts yeast tolerance towards acetic acid improving xylose or glucose consumption: unravelling the underlying mechanisms

Joana T. Cunha, Carlos E. Costa, Luís Ferraz, Aloia Romaní, Björn Johansson, Isabel Sá-Correia, Lucília Domingues

Acetic acid tolerance and xylose consumption are desirable traits for yeast strains used in industrial biotechnological processes. In this work, overexpression of a weak acid stress transcriptional activator encoded by the gene HAA1 and a phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase encoded by PRS3 in a recombinant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain containing a xylose metabolic pathway was evaluated in the presence of acetic acid in xylose- or glucose-containing media. HAA1 or PRS3 overexpression resulted in superior yeast growth and higher sugar consumption capacities in the presence of 4 g/L acetic acid, and a positive synergistic effect resulted from the simultaneous overexpression of both genes. Overexpressing these genes also improved yeast adaptation to a non-detoxified hardwood hydrolysate with a high acetic acid content. Furthermore, the overexpression of HAA1 and/or PRS3 was found to increase the robustness of yeast cell wall when challenged with acetic acid stress, suggesting the involvement of the modulation of the cell wall integrity pathway. This study clearly shows HAA1 and/or, for the first time, PRS3 overexpression to play an important role in the improvement of industrial yeast tolerance towards acetic acid. The results expand the molecular toolbox and add to the current understanding of the mechanisms involved in higher acetic acid tolerance, paving the way for the further development of more efficient industrial processes.