# Yeast Midas’ touch: recent advances in the valorisation of methanol by yeasts

## TL;DR

This review discusses how yeast can convert methanol into valuable chemicals, offering a sustainable alternative for industrial biotechnology.

## Contribution

The paper highlights recent advances in using methylotrophic yeasts for methanol valorisation and their potential in sustainable chemical production.

## Key findings

- Methylotrophic yeasts can metabolize methanol as their sole carbon and energy source.
- Genetic engineering has enabled these yeasts to produce high-value compounds like organic acids and recombinant proteins.
- Methanol can be sustainably sourced from biomass or CO2 hydrogenation using green H2.

## Abstract

Traditionally, methanol has been used as a building block for a plethora of applications. It holds a key role in the chemical industry to produce paints, fabric, solvents, and plastics, and in producing biodiesel as the alcohol counterpart in the transesterification of plant oils and animal fats. Recently, methanol regained attention in industrial biotechnology due to its potential as an alternative substrate. Specifically, methanol is natively metabolised by a group of microorganisms called methylotrophs. Endowed with peculiar physiology, these can utilise the reduced C1 molecule as their sole carbon and energy source. While efforts to implement methylotrophic metabolism in heterologous hosts are still in its infancy, genetic engineering of methylotrophic yeast already succeeded in the conversion of methanol into high-value compounds, such as organic acids or recombinant proteins, boosting their potential as cell factories. Moreover, current technology developments allow for methanol synthesis from biomass or CO2 hydrogenation using green H2, thus envisioning from the latter a land-free biotechnology and an effective way of closing the carbon loop. This review presents the current state of the art for the biosynthesis of chemical building blocks from methanol by methylotrophic yeasts alongside an outlook on its potential within a sustainable economy.