Enhanced GPP synthesis by Erg20p-peptide fusions and biomolecular condensates boosts monoterpene production in yeast

Abstract

Monoterpenes are a diverse class of natural products with broad industrial and pharmaceutical applications. While there is great interest in transitioning their production from chemical synthesis and natural source extraction to yeast bioprocesses, this approach remains limited by the dual functionality of the endogenous farnesyl diphosphate synthase Erg20p, which produces the monoterpene precursor geranyl diphosphate (GPP) but favors its subsequent conversion to farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). To address this limitation, we recruited Erg20p and monoterpene synthases into synthetic membraneless organelles, improving production. In doing so, we found that short C-terminal peptide fusions used for recruitment also significantly enhance GPP synthase activity relative to FPP synthase activity. The combined effects of metabolic spatial organization and GPP synthase activity enhancement significantly boost production of different monoterpenes, including geraniol titers exceeding 4 g/L. The strategies presented here can be readily integrated with other traditional metabolic engineering approaches to build yeast strains with high levels of monoterpene production.