Multiplexed Genome Editing and Transcriptional Knockdown in Yarrowia lipolytica by CRISPR-Cpf1 and an Orthogonal T7 System

Yarrowia lipolytica, a nonconventional yeast, has become an industrial workhorse to synthesize valuable compounds, including lipids, oleochemicals, and nutraceuticals. While the synthetic biology toolkits to engineer the genome and endogenous metabolic pathways are not as developed as Baker’s yeast, it has emerged as a promising microbial host for industrial applications. In this study, we examined the multiplexed editing capability of the CRISPR-AsCpf1 coupled with gRNAs generated from either a yeast native promoter or an orthogonal T7 promoter, which yielded 73.3% editing efficiency for up to four target genes and 100% editing efficiency for two genes. We also attempted two strategies to enhance homology-directed recombination (HDR) efficiency; only minor improvements were observed. We further demonstrated that CRISPR-dAsCpf1 with T7-driven gRNA achieved significant gene knockdown compared to the CRISPR-RfxCas13d system. Its knockdown efficiency was comparable to that of an antisense T7 promoter system. Taken together, this work provides a facile toolkit that enables efficient and multiplexed genome editing and transcriptional knockdown of critical genes by combining CRISPR-Cpf1 with an orthogonal T7 transcription system in Y. lipolytica.