Production of the antidepressant orcinol glucoside in Yarrowia lipolytica with yields over 6,400-fold higher than plant extraction

AUOrcinol : Pleaglucoside seconfirmth(OG), atallhe mainly adinglfound evelsainrerethepres rhizome entedcorofrect thelytraditional : Chinese herb Curculigo orchioides Gaertn, is noted for its antidepressant effects. In this study, an efficient screening pipeline was established for identifying the highly active orcinol synthase (ORS) and UDP-dependent glycosyltransferase (UGT) involved in the biosynthesis of OG by combining transcriptome analysis, structure-based virtual screening, and in vitro enzyme activity assays. By enhancing the downstream pathway, metabolic engineering and fermentation optimization, the OG production in Yarrowia lipolytica was improved 100-fold, resulting in a final yield of 43.46 g/L (0.84 g/g DCW), which is almost 6,400-fold higher than the extraction yield from C. orchioides roots. This study provides a reference for rapid identification of functional genes and high-yield production of natural products.