Figure 3. A synthetic ‘pyruvate dehydrogenase shunt’ engineered in yeast for increased acetyl-CoA production.

Overexpression of AADH and ACS, in a background of high pyruvate decarboxylase activity, results in a short pathway that converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA, as is the case for the PDH complex. The PDH shunt, however, dissipates considerably more energy by hydrolyzing ATP.