Transcriptomic analysis of the M41 strain after adaptive laboratory evolution
This project investigates the transcriptional changes associated with adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) of the engineered yeast Komagataella phaffii for improved glycerol-supported growth and mannose production. An engineered K. phaffii chassis was constructed by rewiring hexose metabolism to redirect glucose- and fructose-derived carbon toward mannose biosynthesis while using glycerol as a supporting carbon source for cell growth. The resulting strain M41 was subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution to improve its growth and production performance under glycerol-supported conditions. Transcriptomic sequencing was performed for evolved M41 isolates and parental M41 strains to characterize genome-wide changes in gene expression associated with the evolved phenotype. Differentially expressed genes were further analyzed to identify transcriptional changes related to cellular envelope remodeling, glycerol uptake and assimilation, mitochondrial metabolism, redox homeostasis, and respiratory energy metabolism. These data provide insights into the transcriptional basis of adaptation to glycerol-supported growth and mannose biosynthesis in engineered K. phaffii.