Engineering strategies for producing medium-long chain dicarboxylic acids in oleaginous yeasts

Medium-long chain dicarboxylic acids (DCAs, C ≥ 6) are essential chemical raw materials, with wide applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical, material and food industries. However, the traditional chemical synthesis methods cause environmental pollution and are not in line with goals of sustainable development. With the development of synthetic biology, high-value-added DCAs can be biosynthesized from hydrophobic substrates (HSs) using suitable microorganisms. This review first summarizes the biosynthetic pathway of DCAs in oleaginous yeasts and then emphasizes the related engineering strategies for increasing the product yield, including promoter, enzyme, pathway, cell, fermentation, and downstream engineering. In addition, the challenges and development trends in the biosynthesis of DCAs are discussed, in light of the current progress, challenges, and trends in this field. Finally, guidelines for future research are proposed. Overall, this review systematically summarizes recent engineering strategies for DCAs production in oleaginous yeasts and offers valuable insights for future DCAs biosynthesis.