Comparative Activity of Six Recombinant Stilbene Synthases in Yeast for Resveratrol Production

Featured Application This work was focused in the generation of six yeast lines able to produce resveratrol fromp-coumaric acid. Industrial use of these strains may be contemplated. Resveratrol is a nutraceutical with relevant benefits to human health. This investigation reports on the generation and evaluation of six recombinant yeast lines that produce resveratrol fromp-coumaric acid. The yeast lines contained a singlep-coumaric acid-Co-A ligase fromPlagiochasma appendiculatumcombined with the stilbene synthases fromParthenocissus henryana,Polygonum cuspidatum,Morus albavar.atropurpurea,Rheum tataricum,Vitis viniferaandArachis hypogaea. Codon optimized versions of these sequences were inserted in an expression vector flanked by the constitutive PGK and GPD promoters before expression inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Batch fermentation (60 h) revealed that yeast lines had different capacities (p< 0.01) to produce resveratrol. Slightly acidic pH (6) and concentrations p-coumaric acid improved resveratrol yields. Among the six lines, those containing the stilbene synthases (STS) fromP. cuspidatumandM. albaproduced up to 39 mg L(-1)using 70 mg L(-1)p-coumaric acid. On the other hand, lines expressing STS fromV. vinifera,A. hypogaeaandR. tataricumgenerated resveratrol faster than other lines but accumulated lower amounts at the end of the batch period (27-30 mg L-1). The simultaneous consumption of ethanol andp-coumaric acid corroborates the role of ethanol as a carbon source involved in the conversion ofp-coumaric acid into resveratrol.