Abstract: Kluyveromyces marxianus is a thermo-tolerant yeast with the fastest growth rate in eukaryote and with a wide carbon spectrum. It is an excellent host for microbial cell factory construction. There were some achievements in the production of inulinase, ethanol, 2-phenylethanol, ethyl acetate etc. by the wild type K. marxianus. The genetic modification system including host strains, gene overexpression and gene deletion methods was constructed to improve the efficiency of microbial cell factories. The genetic engineered K. marxianus can efficiently produce heterogenous protein, ethanol, xylitol, lactic acid, astaxanthin etc. However, the ability of multiple carbon source co-utilization, inhibitor tolerance, high concentration substrate and product tolerance needs to be improved further.

Key words: Kluyveromyces marxianus, thermo-tolerant, microbial cell factory