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Bioremediation is a promising technology to treat the petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. In this study, the strengthen of alkane metabolism and transport activity in Yarrowia lipolytica resulted in increased degradation of n-hexadecane. The highest degradation rate of 10 g/L n-hexadecane of engineered Y. lipolytica was 75.12 % at 96 h, and the wild-type was 45 %. Candida bombicola, which could produce sophorolipids, was cultured with the engineered Y. lipolytica to construct microbial consortia for improving the degradation. The highest degradation rate by the microbial consortia reached 81.57 % at 96 h. Transcriptomic analysis showed the expression levels of genes related to alkane metabolism in engineered Y. lipolytica was down-regulated. Thus, the alcohol dehydrogenase activity was further strengthened, and the degradation rate of 20 g/L n-hexadecane were significantly increased. The 20 g/L n-hexadecane degradation rate of newly engineered Y. lipolytica reached 57.89 %, and that of the microbial consortium reached 72.28 %. This study provides new insights into the construction of synthetic microbial consortia for high-efficient degradation of n-hexadecane. • Microbial consortia were constructed for biodegradation of n-hexadecane. • Transcriptomic analysis results of engineered Y. lipolytica are discussed. • The highest degradation of n-hexadecane by microbial consortia was 82.14 % for 96 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]