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Synechococcus-Yarrowia Synthetic Photosynthetic Consortium

A synthetic, light-driven consortium pairing the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (engineered to secrete sucrose via the cscB+ transporter) with the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica Po1g. The cyanobacterium fixes CO2 and exports sucrose, which Y. lipolytica converts to lipids for biofuel production. This system demonstrates photosynthetic carbon capture coupled to lipid biosynthesis in a modular platform.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 cscB+ NCBITaxon:32046
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
DOMINANT
Yarrowia lipolytica Po1g NCBITaxon:4952
CROSS_FEEDER
ABUNDANT

Ecological Interactions

CO2 Fixation and Sucrose Production

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 cscB+

Metabolites: sucrose (CHEBI:17992)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
Sucrose to Lipid Conversion

Evidence

  • PMID:28127397 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We previously engineered a model cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, to secrete the bulk of the carbon it fixes as sucrose, a carbohydrate that can be utilized by many other microbes"

Sucrose to Lipid Conversion

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Yarrowia lipolytica Po1g

Metabolites: sucrose (CHEBI:17992), triacylglycerol (CHEBI:17855)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:28127397 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Stability and productivity of autotroph/heterotroph co-cultures was dependent on heterotroph sucrose utilization, as well as other species-independent interactions that we observed across all dyads"