A robust yeast chassis: comprehensive characterization of a fastgrowing Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Robust chassis are critical to facilitate advances in synthetic biology. This study describes a comprehensive characterization of a new yeast isolate Saccharomyces cerevisiae XP that grows faster than commonly used research and industrial S. cerevisiae strains. The genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses suggest that the fast growth rate is, in part, due to the efficient electron transport chain and key growth factor synthesis. A toolbox for genetic manipulation of the yeast was developed; we used it to construct L-lactic acid producers for high lactate production. The development of genetically malleable yeast strains that grow faster than currently used strains may significantly enhance the uses of S. cerevisiae in biotechnology.