Generation and Annotation of Yarrowia lipolytica Genome Assemblies

Yarrowia lipolytica is an oleaginous yeast with exceptional metabolic flexibility and a strong capacity for fatty acid accumulation. While Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains the most used chassis in biotechnology, Y. lipolytica offers distinct advantages under conditions that inhibit many conventional yeasts.

Numerous Y. lipolytica strains are preserved in public biorepositories, including strains of applied and academic relevance. Several of these have been sequenced, and reference-quality genome assemblies are available through public genomic databases. 

In this study, we selected Y. lipolytica strains with broad applied, academic, and taxonomic significance from a publicly accessible Yarrowia collection. Genomes were sequenced using both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore technologies and annotated with a custom database, yielding high‑quality, fully annotated assemblies. These assemblies were deposited in a publicly accessible genomic resource and cross-linked to the originating biological materials to maintain strain-genome traceability. 

This dataset includes the first phased diploid assembly of the Y. lipolytica type strain and an improved assembly relative to the current RefSeq reference. By providing accurate and traceable genomic resources, this work supports ongoing research into Y. lipolytica biology and its development as a platform for microbial production and systems biology research.