Question

Harry is trying to genetically engineer yeast to produce novel fatty acids. He has introduced into the yeast genome the E. coli fabA gene, encoding the beta-hydroxydecanoyl dehydrase enzyme responsible for desaturation in prokaryotes. Preliminary tests indicate that the dehydrase expresses and folds well in the yeast cytosol. However, the fatty acids of this fabA+ yeast strain show no difference in fatty acid composition. Why do you this engineering strategy will fail?

Answer 1

All the environment are favorable in that gene has been successfully inserted into yeast genome and the gene is expressed and folds well in yeast’s cytoplasm

but

Yeast is eukaryotic organism while gene encoded is from prokaryotic. Eukaryotic system has property of posttranslational modification like removal or addition of some aminoacids, de/phosphorylation, de/acetylation etc. after protein synthesis is completed through encoded RNA and may result in inactivation of enzyme.