Inference of Regulatory System for TAG Biosynthesis in Lipomyces starkeyi

Improving the bioproduction ability of efficient host microorganisms is a central aim in bioengineering. To control biosynthesis in living cells, the regulatory system of the whole biosynthetic pathway should be clearly understood. In this study, we applied our network modeling method to infer the regulatory system for triacylglyceride (TAG) biosynthesis in Lipomyces starkeyi, using factor analyses and structural equation modeling to construct a regulatory network model. By factor analysis, we classified 89 TAG biosynthesis-related genes into nine groups, which were considered different regulatory sub-systems. We constructed two different types of regulatory models. One is the regulatory model for oil productivity, and the other is the whole regulatory model for TAG biosynthesis. From the inferred oil productivity regulatory model, the well characterized genes DGA1 and ACL1 were detected as regulatory factors. Furthermore, we also found unknown feedback controls in oil productivity regulation. These regulation models suggest that the regulatory factor induction targets should be selected carefully. Within the whole regulatory model of TAG biosynthesis, some genes were detected as not related to TAG biosynthesis regulation. Using network modeling, we reveal that the regulatory system is helpful for the new era of bioengineering.