Production of 10-hydroxystearic acid from oleic acid and olive oil hydrolyzate by an oleate hydratase from Lysinibacillus fusiformis

A recombinant enzyme from Lysinibacillus fusiformis was expressed, purified, and identified as an oleate hydratase because the hydration activity of the enzyme was the highest for oleic acid (with a k (cat) of 850?min(-1) and a K (m) of 540?μM), followed by palmitoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, myristoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid. The optimal reaction conditions for the enzymatic production of 10-hydroxystearic acid were pH 6.5, 35?°C, 4% (v/v) ethanol, 2,500?U ml(-1) (8.3?mg?ml(-1)) of enzyme, and 40?g l(-1) oleic acid. Under these conditions, 40?g l(-1) (142?mM) oleic acid was converted into 40?g l(-1) (133?mM) 10-hydroxystearic acid for 150?min, with a molar yield of 94% and a productivity of 16?g l(-1)?h(-1), and olive oil hydrolyzate containing 40?g l(-1) oleic acid was converted into 40?g l(-1) 10-hydroxystearic acid for 300?min, with a productivity of 8?g l(-1)?h(-1).     

Conversion of oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid by whole cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens</Emphasis>

The optimal reaction conditions for the conversion of oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid by whole cells of Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens were: pH 7.5, 35°C, 0.05% (w/v) Tween 80, 20 g cells l⁻¹, and 30 g oleic acid l⁻¹ in an anaerobic atmosphere. Under these conditions, the cells produced 31.5 g 10-hydroxystearic acid l⁻¹ over 4 h with a conversion yield of 100% (mol/mol) and a productivity of 7.9 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹, indicating that oleic acid was converted completely to 10-hydroxystearic acid, with no detectable byproduct. This is the highest concentration, productivity, and yield of 10-hydroxystearic acid from oleic acid reported thus far.     

Bioprocess engineering to produce 10-hydroxystearic acid from oleic acid by recombinant Escherichia coli expressing the oleate hydratase gene of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Microbial hydroxylation of long chain fatty acids has been extensively investigated. However, biotransformation productivity remains below ca. 1.0 g/g cell dry weight (CDW)/h under process conditions. In the present study, a highly efficient microbial hydroxylation process to convert oleic acid into 10-hydroxystearic acid was developed. A recombinant Escherichia coli expressing ohyA, the gene encoding oleate hydratase of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, was used as the biocatalyst. Investigation of the ohyA expression and biotransformation conditions (e.g., inducer concentration, gene expression period before initiating biotransformation, mixing condition of reaction medium) enabled 10-hydroxystearic acid to accumulate to a final concentration of approximately 46 g/L in the culture medium. The specific product formation rate and product yield reached approximately 2.0 g/g CDW/h (i.e., 110 U/g CDW) and 91%, respectively. The specific product formation rate was more than 3-fold higher than those of a bioprocess using wild type Stenotrophomonas sp. cells. Additionally, the product of the whole-cell biotransformation was recovered at a yield of 70.9% and a purity of 99.7% via solvent fraction crystallization at low temperature. These results will contribute to developing a biological process for hydroxylation of oleic acid.     

Production of a novel compound, 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid from ricinoleic acid by an oleate hydratase from Lysinibacillus fusiformis

A recombinant oleate hydratase from Lysinibacillus fusiformis converted ricinoleic acid to a product, whose chemical structure was identified as the novel compound 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid by gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The reaction conditions for the production of 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid were optimized as follows: pH?6.5, 30 °C, 15 g?l^?1 ricinoleic acid, 9 mg?ml^?1 of enzyme, and 4 % (v/v) methanol. Under the optimized conditions, the enzyme produced 13.5 g?l^?1 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid without detectable byproducts in 3 h, with a conversion of substrate to product of 90 % (w/w) and a productivity of 4.5 g?l^?1?h^?1. The emulsifying activity of 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid was higher than that of oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, stearic acid, and 10-hydroxystearic acid, indicating that 10,12-dihydroxystearic acid can be used as a biosurfactant.     

Production of 10-hydroxy-12,15(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid from α-linolenic acid by permeabilized cells of recombinant Escherichia coli expressing the oleate hydratase gene of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Recombinant Escherichia coli, expressing the oleate hydratase gene of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, was permeabilized by sequential treatments with 0.125 M NaCl and 2 mM EDTA. The optimal conditions for the production of 10-hydroxy-12,15(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid from α-linolenic acid by permeabilized cells were 35 °C and pH 7.0 with 0.1 % (v/v) Tween 40, 50 g permeabilized cells l^?1, and 17.5 g α-linolenic acid l^?1. Under these conditions, permeabilized cells produced 14.3 g 10-hydroxy-12,15(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid l^?1 after 18 h, with a conversion yield of 82 % (g/g) and a volumetric productivity of 0.79 g l^?1 h^?1. These values were 17 and 168 % higher than those obtained by nonpermeabilized cells, respectively. The concentration, yield, and productivity of 10-hydroxy-12,15(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid obtained by permeabilized cells are the highest reported thus far.     

Production of 8,11‐dihydroxy and 8‐hydroxy unsaturated fatty acids from unsaturated fatty acids by recombinant Escherichia coli expressing 8,11‐linoleate diol synthase from Penicillium chrysogenum

Hydroxy unsaturated fatty acids can be used as antimicrobial surfactants. 8,11‐Linoleate diol synthase (8,11‐LDS) catalyzes the conversion of unsaturated fatty acid to 8‐hydroperoxy unsaturated fatty acid, and it is subsequently isomerized to 8,11‐dihydroxy unsaturated fatty acid by the enzyme. The optimal reaction conditions of recombinant Escherichia coli expressing Penicillium chrysogenum 8,11‐LDS for the production of 8,11‐dihydroxy‐9,12(Z,Z)‐octadecadienoic acid (8,11‐DiHODE), 8,11‐dihydroxy‐9,12,15(Z,Z,Z)‐octadecatrienoic acid (8,11‐DiHOTrE), 8‐hydroxy‐9(Z)‐hexadecenoic acid (8‐HHME), and 8‐hydroxy‐9(Z)‐octadecenoic acid (8‐HOME) were pH 7.0, 25°C, 10 g/L linoleic acid, and 20 g/L cells; pH 6.0, 25°C, 6 g/L α‐linolenic acid, and 60 g/L cells; pH 7.0, 25°C, 8 g/L palmitoleic acid, and 25 g/L cells; and pH 8.5, 30°C, 6 g/L oleic acid, and 25 g/L cells, respectively. Under these optimized conditions, the recombinant cells produced 6.0 g/L 8,11‐DiHODE for 60 min, with a conversion of 60% (w/w) and a productivity of 6.0 g/L/h; 4.3 g/L 8,11‐DiHOTrE for 60 min, with a conversion of 72% (w/w) and a productivity of 4.3 g/L/h; 4.3 g/L 8‐HHME acid for 60 min, with a conversion of 54% (w/w) and a productivity of 4.3 g/L/h; and 0.9 g/L 8‐HOME for 30 min, with a conversion of 15% (w/w) and a productivity of 1.8 g/L/h. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the biotechnological production of 8,11‐DiHODE, 8,11‐DiHOTrE, 8‐HHME, and 8‐HOME. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:390–396, 2017     

10(R)-Hydroxystearic acid production by a novel microbe,NRRL B-14797, isolated from compost

Summary A bacterium, NRRL B-14797, isolated from composted manure, converted oleic acid exclusively to 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid in 3-day batch cultures. 9(Z)-Unsaturated fatty acids in a lipid extract from soybean soapstock were also hydrated effectively. Aerobic bioconversions by isolate B-14797 were compared with those byPseudomonas B-2994 andNocardia 5767, which produce mixtures of 10-hydroxy- and 10-ketostearic acids. The results of studies with resting cells and cell-free extracts were consistent with action of a hydratase and absence of secondary alcohol dehydrogenase in strain B-14797.The mention of firm names or trade products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the US Department of Agriculture over other firms or similar products not mentioned.     

Biochemical characterization and FAD-binding analysis of oleate hydratase from Macrococcus caseolyticus

A putative fatty acid hydratase gene from Macrococcus caseolyticus was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was a 68 kDa dimer with a molecular mass of 136 kDa. The enzymatic products formed from fatty acid substrates by the putative enzyme were isolated with high purity (>99%) by solvent fractional crystallization at low temperature. After the identification by GC–MS, the purified hydroxy fatty acids were used as standards to quantitatively determine specific activities and kinetic parameters for fatty acids as substrates. Among the fatty acids evaluated, specific activity and catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) were highest for oleic acid, indicating that the putative fatty acid hydratase was an oleate hydratase. Hydration occurred only for cis-9-double and cis-12-double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids without any trans-configurations. The maximum activity for oleate hydration was observed at pH 6.5 and 25 °C with 2% (v/v) ethanol and 0.2 mM FAD. Without FAD, all catalytic activity was abolished. Thus, the oleate hydratase is an FAD-dependent enzyme. The residues G29, G31, S34, E50, and E56, which are conserved in the FAD-binding motif of fatty acid hydratases (GXGXXG_(A/S)X_(15–21)E_(D)), were selected by alignment, and the spectral properties and kinetic parameters of their alanine-substituted variants were analyzed. Among the five variants, G29A, G31A, and E56A showed no interaction with FAD and exhibited no activity. These results indicate that G29, G31, and E56 are essential for FAD-binding.     

Biosynthesis of enantiopure (S)-3-hydroxybutyric acid in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

A biosynthetic pathway for the production of (S)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (S3HB) from glucose was established in recombinant Escherichia coli by introducing the beta-ketothiolase gene from Ralstonia eutropha H16, the (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase gene from R. eutropha H16, or Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824, and the 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase gene from Bacillus cereus ATCC14579. Artificial operon consisting of these genes was constructed and was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) codon plus under T7 promoter by isopropyl beta-D: -thiogalactoside (IPTG) induction. Recombinant E. coli BL21 (DE3) codon plus expressing the beta-ketothiolase gene, the (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase gene, and the 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase gene could synthesize enantiomerically pure S3HB to the concentration of 0.61 g l(-1) from 20 g l(-1) of glucose in Luria-Bertani medium. Fed-batch cultures of recombinant E. coli BL21 (DE3) codon plus were carried out to achieve higher titer of S3HB with varying induction time and glucose concentration during fermentation. Protein expression was induced by addition of 1 mM IPTG when cell concentration reached 10 and 20 g l(-1) (OD(600) = 30 and 60), respectively. When protein expression was induced at 60 of OD(600) and glucose was fed to the concentration of 15 g l(-1), 10.3 g l(-1) of S3HB was obtained in 38 h with the S3HB productivity of 0.21 g l(-1)h(-1). Lowering glucose concentration to 5 g l(-1) and induction of protein expression at 30 of OD(600) significantly reduced final S3HB concentration to 3.7 g l(-1), which also resulted in the decrease of the S3HB productivity to 0.05 g l(-1)h(-1).     

Increased production of succinic acid in Escherichia coli by overexpression of malate dehydrogenase

Escherichia coli NZN111 is a double mutant with inactivated lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate formate-lyase. It cannot utilize glucose anaerobically because of its unusually high intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio. We have now constructed a recombinant strain, E. coli NZN111/pTrc99a-mdh, which, during anaerobic fermentation, produced 4.3 g succinic acid l(-1) from 13.5 g glucose l(-1). The NADH/NAD(+) ratio decreased from 0.64 to 0.26. Furthermore, dual-phase fermentation (aerobic growth followed by anaerobic phase) resulted in enhanced succinic acid production and reduced byproduct formation. The yield of succinic acid from glucose during the anaerobic phase was 0.72 g g(-1), and the productivity was 1.01 g l(-1) h(-1).     

Production of 5,8-dihydroxy-9,12(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid from linoleic acid by whole recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing diol synthase from Aspergillus nidulans

Diol synthase from Aspergillus nidulans was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant E. coli cells expressing diol synthase from A. nidulans converted linoleic acid to a product that was identified as 5,8-dihydroxy-9,12(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The recombinant cells and the purified enzyme showed the highest activity for linoleic acid among the fatty acids tested. The optimal reaction conditions for the production of 5,8-dihydroxy-9,12(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid from linoleic acid using whole recombinant E. coli cells expressing diol synthase were pH 7.5, 35°C, 250 rpm, 5 g l^?1 linoleic acid, 23 g l^?1 cells, and 20% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide in a 250-ml baffled flask. Under these optimized conditions, whole recombinant cells expressing diol synthase produced 4.98 g l^?1 5,8-dihydroxy-9,12(Z,Z)-octadecadienoic acid for 150 min without detectable byproducts, with a conversion yield of 99% (w/w) and a productivity of 2.5 g l^?1 h^?1. This is the first report on the biotechnological production of dihydroxy fatty acid using whole recombinant cells expressing diol synthase.     

Hydration of oleic acid by a Selenomonas strain from the ovine rumen

J.A. HUDSON, C.A.M. MACKENZIE AND K.N. JOBLIN. 1996. A Selenomonas sp., isolated from the ovine rumen, was characterized with regard to its ability to hydrate oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid. Hydration occurred only in stationary phase in a medium containing 0.1%, 0.5% (w/v) galactose or 0.5% (w/v) glucose, but not in a medium containing 1% galactose. Growth under a hydrogen headspace did not result in the production of stearic acid, the biohydrogenated product of oleic acid. Linoleic and linolenic acids (0.1% v/v) were not hydrated. It is concluded that the growing bacterium is unlikely to contribute to oleic acid hydration in the rumen.     

Effect of glutamate on arachidonic acid production from Mortierella alpina

AIMS: To evaluate the effect of glutamate on arachidonic acid production from Mortierella alpina. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cell growth, arachidonic acid production, proportions of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PuFAs) in fatty acids and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity were analysed when glutamate concentration was 0.8 g l(-1). Biomass and arachidonic acid production were higher in the culture containing glutamate than those in the control culture, and both reached their maximum of 25 g l(-1) and 1.4 g l(-1) after 7 d, respectively. The proportions of some PuFAs, oleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid were decreased while linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were enhanced by glutamate addition. Glutamate addition enhanced G6PDH activity compared with the control during the whole culture process. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of 0.8 g l(-1) glutamate was beneficial to enhance arachidonic acid production from Mortierella alpina, which was a result of activating the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study shows that the addition of glutamate and regulation of PPP had a positive influence on arachidonic acid synthesis in Mortierella species.     

Identification and characterization of Escherichia coli thioesterase III that functions in fatty acid beta-oxidation

When Escherichia coli is grown on oleic acid as the sole carbon source, most of this fatty acid is completely degraded by beta-oxidation. However, approximately 10% of the oleic acid is only partially degraded to 3,5- cis-tetradecadienoyl-CoA, which is hydrolyzed to 3,5- cis-tetradecadienoic acid and released into the growth medium. An investigation of thioesterases involved in this novel pathway of beta-oxidation led to the identification of a new thioesterase (thioesterase III) that is induced by growth of E. coli on oleic acid. This enzyme was partially purified and identified as the ybaW gene product by mass spectrometric analysis of tryptic peptides. The ybaW gene, which has a putative consensus sequence for binding the fatty acid degradation repressor, was cloned and expressed in E. coli. Thioesterase III was shown to be a long-chain acyl-CoA thioesterase that is most active with 3,5-tetradecadienoyl-CoA, a minor metabolite of oleate beta-oxidation. Its substrate specificity and induction by fatty acids agree with its proposed function in the thioesterase-dependent pathway of beta-oxidation. Thioesterase III is proposed to hydrolyze metabolites of beta-oxidation that are resistant to further degradation and that would inhibit the flux through the pathway if they were allowed to accumulate.     

Stereospecificity of Microbial Hydrations of Oleic Acid to 10-Hydroxystearic Acid

We recently described a simple method for ascertaining the stereochemical purities of hydroxy fatty acids (S. H. El-Sharkawy, W. Yang, L. Dostal, and J. P. N. Rosazza, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58:2116-2122, 1992) based on the ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis of diastereomeric S-(+)-O-acetylmandelate esters of hydroxystearates. This report describes the stereochemistries of microbial hydrations of oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid by Nocardia aurantia (also known as Rhodococcus rhodochrous) ATCC 12674, Nocardia restrictus ATCC 14887, Mycobacterium fortuitum UI-53387, Pseudomonas species strain NRRL-2994, Pseudomonas species strain NRRL B-3266, and baker's yeast. 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid isolated from Pseudomonas species strain NRRL-2994 was the standard for use in the ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectral technique to permit simple assignments of the absolute configurations of 10-hydroxystearic acid produced by different microorganisms. While the R. rhodochrous ATCC 12674-mediated hydration of oleic acid gave mixtures of enantiomers 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid and 10(S)-hydroxystearic acid, Pseudomonas species strain NRRL-B-3266 produced optically pure 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid. The remaining microorganisms stereoselectively hydrated oleic acid to 10(R)-hydroxystearic acid containing between 2 and 18% of the contaminating 10(S)-hydroxystearic acid.     

Fermentative production of dl-lactic acid from amylase-treated rice and wheat brans hydrolyzate by a novel lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus sp.

Rice and wheat brans, without additional nutrients and hydrolyzed by alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase, were fermented to DL-lactic acid using a newly isolated strain of Lactobacillus sp. RKY2. In batch fermentations at 36 degrees C and pH 6, the amount of lactic acid in fermentation broth reached 129 g l(-1) by supplementation of rice bran with whole rice flour. The maximum productivity was 3.1 g lactic acid l(-1) h(-1) in rice bran medium supplemented with whole rice flour or whole wheat flour.     

Factors affecting the formation of 10-hydroxystearic acid from oleic acid by a ruminal strain of Enterococcus faecalis

 A ruminal strain of Enterococcus faecalis was characterised with respect to its ability to hydrate oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid. Hydroxy fatty acid was produced after growth had ceased and the carbon source was almost exhausted. Hydroxy fatty acid production was equally rapid whether the inoculum had been grown in the presence of oleic acid or not, and almost complete conversion was achieved when oleic acid was present at a concentration of up to 0.5% (v/v). Incubation under a hydrogen headspace did not result in biohydrogenation of oleic acid. In pH-controlled batch culture the proportion of oleic acid hydrated varied with the pH of incubation, with more hydration at lower pH. Growth was retarded in the presence of 0.1% (v/v) linoleic acid, inhibited by the same concentration of linolenic acid and did not result in the formation of hydrated products from these substrates. If this organism is able to transform oleic acid in the rumen then the only product likely to be formed is 10hydroxystearic acid. Received: 17 July 1995/Received last revision: 24 October 1995/Accepted: 30 October 1995     

Lactic acid production from agricultural resources as cheap raw materials

Agricultural resources such as barley, wheat, and corn were hydrolyzed by commercial amylolytic enzymes and fermented into lactic acid by Enterococcus faecalis RKY1. Although no additional nutrients were supplemented to those resources, lactic acid productivities were obtained at >0.8 g/l h from barley and wheat. When 200 g/l of whole wheat flour was hydrolyzed by amylolytic enzymes after the pre-treatment with 0.3% (v/v) sulfuric acid and sterilized by filtration, E. faecalis RKY1 efficiently produced lactic acid with 2.6 g/l h of lactic acid productivity and 5.90 g/l of maximal dry cell weight without additional nutrients. Lactic acid productivity and cell growth could be enhanced to 31% and 12% higher values than those of non-adapted RKY1, by adaptation of E. faecalis RKY1 to CSL-based medium. When the medium contained 200 g/l of whole wheat flour hydrolyzate, 15 g/l of corn steep liquor, and 1.5 g/l of yeast extract, lactic acid productivity and maximal dry cell weight were obtained at 5.36 g/l h and 14.08 g/l, respectively. This result represented an improvement of up to 106% of lactic acid productivity and 138% of maximal dry cell weight in comparison to the fermentation from whole wheat flour hydrolyzate only.     

Screening,expression, and characterization of Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases for the production of 9-(nonanoyloxy)nonanoic acid from oleic acid

In this study, the production of 9-(nonanoyloxy) nonanoic acid from oleic acid was investigated. The whole cell biotransformation of oleic acid includes OhyA (hydratase), ADH (alcohol dehydrdogenase), and BVMO (Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenase) enzymes consecutively. BVMOs are known to catalyze oxidative cleavage of long chain aliphatic ketones (e.g., 2-decanone, 10-ketooctadecanoic acid). However, the enzymes are difficult to overexpress in a soluble form in microorganisms. Thereby, this study has focused on screening and functional expression of the BVMOs in Escherichia coli. Initially BVMOs were selected by protein sequence analysis and were examined for their ability to express in soluble and active form to generate 9-(nonanoyloxy)nonanoic acid from oleic acid. Secondly various optimization strategies of inducer concentrations, co-expression with molecular chaperones, and different media conditions were investigated. Among the 9 BVMOs screened, three BVMOs were found to produce the target product and among these, Di_BVMO3 isolated from Dietzia sp. D5 was found to be best. Further, the soluble expression of Di_BVMO3 was enhanced by adding phosphoglycerate kinase as N-terminal fusion tag. The whole cell biotransformation with fusion enzyme resulted in 3 ~ 5-fold enhancement in product formation compared with the non-fusion counterpart. Final productivity up to 105.3 mg/L was achieved. Besides Di-BVMO3, other two new BVMOs of Rh_BVMO4 from Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 and AFL838 from Aspergillus flavus NRRL3357 were screened for production of 9-(nonanoyloxy)nonanoic acid and could be used for whole cell biotransformation reaction of other long chain ketones.     

Increased production of γ-lactones from hydroxy fatty acids by whole Waltomyces lipofer cells induced with oleic acid

Among several fatty acids tested, oleic acid was selected as the most efficient inducer for the production of 4-hydroxydodecanoic acid, a metabolite of β-oxidation, by Waltomyces lipofer. Cells were induced by incubation for 12 h in a medium containing 10 g l^?1 yeast extract, 10 g l^?1 peptone, 5 g l^?1 oleic acid, 1 g l^?1 glucose, and 0.05 % (w/v) Tween 80. The optimal reaction conditions for the production of γ-lactones by induced cells were pH 6.5, 35 °C, 200 rpm, 0.71 M Tris, 60 g l^?1 hydroxy fatty acid, and 20 g l^?1 cells. Non-induced cells produced 38 g l^?1 γ-dodecalactone from 60 g l^?1 10-hydroxystearic acid after 30 h, with a conversion yield of 63 % (w/w) and a productivity of 1.3 g l^?1 h^?1 under the optimized conditions, whereas induced cells produced 51 g l^?1 γ-dodecalactone from 60 g l^?1 10-hydroxystearic acid after 30 h, with a conversion yield of 85 % (w/w) and a productivity of 1.7 g l^?1 h^?1. The conversion yield and productivity of induced cells were 22 % and 1.3-fold higher, respectively, than those of non-induced cells. Induced cells also produced 28 g l^?1 γ-decalactone and 12 g l^?1 γ-butyrolactone from 60 g l^?1 12-hydroxystearic acid and 60 g l^?1 10-hydroxydecanoic acid, respectively, after 30 h. The concentration, conversion yield, and productivity of γ-dodecalactone and γ-decalactone are the highest reported thus far. This is the first study on the biotechnological production of γ-butyrolactone.