Identification and utilization of a 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase isoenzyme for production of 1,3-propanediol from glycerol in Klebsiella pneumoniae

In a previous study, we showed that 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) was still produced from glycerol by the Klebsiella pneumoniae mutant strain defective in 1,3-PD oxidoreductase (DhaT), although the production level was lower compared to the parent strain. As a potential candidate for another putative 1,3-PD oxidoreductase, we identified and characterized a homolog of Escherichia coli yqhD (88% homology in amino acid sequence), which encodes an alcohol dehydrogenase and is well known to replace the function of DhaT in E. coli. Introduction of multiple copies of the yqhD homolog restored 1,3-PD production in the mutant K. pneumoniae strain defective in DhaT. In addition, by-product formation was still eliminated in the recombinant strain due to the elimination of the glycerol oxidative pathway. An increase in NADP-dependent 1,3-PD oxidoreductase activity was observed in the recombinant strain harboring multiple copies of the yqhD homolog. The level of 1,3-PD production during batch fermentation in the recombinant strain was comparable to that of the parent strain; further engineering can generate an industrial strain producing 1,3-propanediol.     

Determination of kinetic parameters of 1,3-propanediol fermentation by Clostridium diolis using statistically optimized medium

1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) is a chemical compound of immense importance primarily used as a raw material for fiber and textile industry. It can be produced by the fermentation of glycerol available abundantly as a by-product from the biodiesel plant. The present study was aimed at determination of key kinetic parameters of 1,3-PD fermentation by Clostridium diolis. Initial experiments on microbial growth inhibition were followed by optimization of nutrient medium recipe by statistical means. Batch kinetic data from studies in bioreactor using optimum concentration of variables obtained from statistical medium design was used for estimation of kinetic parameters of 1,3-PD production. Direct use of raw glycerol from biodiesel plant without any pre-treatment for 1,3-PD production using this strain investigated for the first time in this work gave results comparable to commercial glycerol. The parameter values obtained in this study would be used to develop a mathematical model for 1,3-PD to be used as a guide for designing various reactor operating strategies for further improving 1,3-PD production. An outline of protocol for model development has been discussed in the present work.     

Study of two-stage processes for the microbial production of 1,3-propanediol from glucose

The microbial production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) from glucose was studied in a two-stage fermentation process on a laboratory scale. In the first stage, glucose was converted to glycerol either by the osmotolerant yeast Pichia farinosa or by a recombinant Escherichia coli strain. In the second stage, glycerol in the broth from the first stage was converted to 1,3-PD by Klebsiella pneumoniae. The culture broth from P. farinosa was shown to contain toxic metabolites that strongly impair the growth of K. pneumoniae and the formation of 1,3-PD. Recombinant E. coli is more suitable than P. farinosa for producing glycerol in the first stage. The fermentation pattern from glycerol can be significantly altered by the presence of acetate, leading to a significant reduction of PD yield in the second stage. However, in the recombinant E. coli culture acetate formation can be prevented by fed-batch cultivation under limiting glucose supply, resulting in an effective production of 1,3-PD in the second stage with a productivity of 2.0 g l(-1) h(-1) and a high yield (0.53 g/g) close to that of glycerol fermentation in a synthetic medium. The overall 1,3-PD yield from glucose in the two stage-process with E. coli and K. pneumoniae reached 0.17 g/g.     

Improving 1,3-propanediol production from glycerol in a metabolically engineered Escherichia coli by reducing accumulation of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate

High levels of glycerol significantly inhibit cell growth and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production in anaerobic glycerol fermentation by genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains expressing genes from the Klebsiella pneumoniae dha (K.pneumoniae) regulon. We have previously demonstrated that 1,3-PD production by the engineered E. coli can be improved by reducing the accumulation of methylglyoxal. This study focuses on investigation of another lesser-known metabolite in the pathways related to 1,3-PD production-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P). When grown anaerobically on glycerol in the absence of an exogenous acceptor, the engineered E. coli strains have intracellular G3P levels that are significantly higher than those in K. pneumoniae, a natural 1,3-PD producer. Furthermore, in the engineered E. coli strains, the G3P levels increase with increasing glycerol concentrations, whereas, in K. pneumoniae, the concentrations of G3P remain relatively constant. Addition of fumarate, which can stimulate activity of anaerobic G3P dehydrogenase, into the fermentation medium led to a greater than 30-fold increase in the specific activity of anaerobic G3P dehydrogenase and a significant decrease in concentrations of intracellular G3P and resulted in better cell growth and an improved production of 1,3-PD. This indicates that the low activity of G3P dehydrogenase in the absence of an exogenous electron acceptor is one of the reasons for G3P accumulation. In addition, spent media from E.coli Lin61, a glycerol kinase (responsible for conversion of glycerol to G3P) mutant, contains greatly decreased concentrations of G3P and shows improved production of 1,3-PD (by 2.5-fold), when compared to media from its parent strain E. coli K10. This further suggests that G3P accumulation is one of the reasons for the inhibition of 1,3-PD production during anaerobic fermentation.     

利用克雷伯肺炎杆菌限制性底物发酵生产1，3-丙二醇

研究了克雷伯肺炎杆菌（Klebsiella pneumoniae）批式流加发酵生产1,3-丙二醇的发酵工艺,根据1,3-丙二醇的生产和菌体生长相关的特点,采用营养基质限制性流加的发酵工艺,通过控制氮源氯化铵以保持细胞稳定生长。结果表明：过低的氮源浓度,细胞生长受到限制,影响产物1,3-PD的合成;过高的氮源浓度,细胞比生长速率增加,但1,3-PD关于消耗甘油的得率降低,用于生长和维持代谢所消耗的甘油量增加。以0.41 g/(L·h)的氮源流加速率,残余氯化铵浓度在0.1 g/L时,转化率和生产强度最高。发酵25 h～28 h后,1,3-丙二醇最终浓度达到52.03 g/L,生产强度为2.04 g/(L·h),相对于甘油的摩尔转化率为0.66,分别比氮源限制前提高了28.0 ％、35.1 ％及29.4 ％。通过限制性流加氯化铵,控制细胞的比生长速率,使底物甘油有效转变为发酵的目标产物1,3-PD,有效实现产物1,3-PD的高生产强度以及对甘油的高转化率。     

Stimulation of reductive glycerol metabolism by overexpression of an aldehyde dehydrogenase in a recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Klebsiella pneumoniae</Emphasis> strain defective in the oxidative pathway

Previously, we constructed a glycerol oxidative pathway-deficient mutant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae by inactivation of glycerol dehydrogenase (dhaD) to eliminate by-product synthesis during production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) from glycerol. Although by-product formation was successfully blocked in the resultant strain, the yield of 1,3-PD was not enhanced, probably because dhaD disruption resulted in insufficient regeneration of the cofactor NADH essential for the activity of 1,3-PD oxidoreductase (DhaT). To improve cofactor regeneration, in the present study we overexpressed an NAD⁺-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase in the recombinant strain. To this end, an aldehyde dehydrogenase AldHk homologous to E. coli AldH but with NAD⁺-dependent propionaldehyde dehydrogenase activity was identified in K. pneumoniae. Functional analysis revealed that the substrate specificity of AldHk embraced various aldehydes including propionaldehyde, and that NAD⁺ was preferred over NADP⁺ as a cofactor. Overexpression of AldHk in the glycerol oxidative pathway-deficient mutant AK/pVOTHk resulted in a 3.6-fold increase (0.57 g l⁻¹ to 2.07 g l⁻¹) in the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), and a 1.1-fold enhancement (8.43 g l⁻¹ to 9.65 g l⁻¹) of 1,3-PD synthesis, when glycerol was provided as the carbon source, compared to the levels synthesized by the control strain (AK/pVOT). Batch fermentation using AK/pVOTHk showed a significant increase (to 70%, w/w) in conversion of glycerol to the reductive metabolites, 1,3-PD and 3-HP, with no production of by-products except acetate.     

1, 3-丙二醇发酵过程中盐浓度的胁迫作用

通过对克雷伯氏菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae)甘油发酵生产1, 3-丙二醇(1, 3-PD)过程的研究发现, 盐浓度对 1, 3-PD发酵有胁迫作用。盐浓度较低时, 菌体生长和产物生成均维持较高速率; 盐浓度较高时会导致菌体生长减慢, 1, 3-PD最终浓度, 甘油到1, 3-丙二醇的转化率降低, 同时1, 3-丙二醇氧化还原酶受到抑制。在5 m3罐中控制合适的盐浓度可以提高1, 3-PD的发酵水平, 使1, 3-PD的最终浓度达到64 g/L, 转化率61%, 生产强度2.1 g/(L·h)。     

1, 3-丙二醇发酵过程中盐浓度的胁迫作用

通过对克雷伯氏菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae)甘油发酵生产1, 3-丙二醇(1, 3-PD)过程的研究发现, 盐浓度对 1, 3-PD发酵有胁迫作用。盐浓度较低时, 菌体生长和产物生成均维持较高速率; 盐浓度较高时会导致菌体生长减慢, 1, 3-PD最终浓度, 甘油到1, 3-丙二醇的转化率降低, 同时1, 3-丙二醇氧化还原酶受到抑制。在5 m3罐中控制合适的盐浓度可以提高1, 3-PD的发酵水平, 使1, 3-PD的最终浓度达到64 g/L, 转化率61%, 生产强度2.1 g/(L·h)。     

Improved 1,3-propanediol production with hemicellulosic hydrolysates (corn straw) as cosubstrate: Impact of degradation products on Klebsiella pneumoniae growth and 1,3-propanediol fermentation

To improve 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production by an economic and efficient approach, hemicellulosic hydrolysates (HH) used as cosubstrate resulted in more biomass and higher reducing power for 1,3-PD production. The effects of primary degradation products such as individual sugars (xylose, glucose, mannose, arabinose and galactose) and major inhibitors (furfural, acetate and formate) on the Klebsiella pneumoiae growth and 1,3-PD production were investigated in this study. Xylose and mannose could efficiently promote the 1,3-PD production and cell growth. Furfural (0.28 g/l) and sodium acetate (1.46 g/l) in low concentration were not inhibitory to Klebsiella pneumoniae, rather they have stimulatory effect on the growth and 1,3-PD biosynthesis, especially the acetate. In fed-batch fermentation with HH as cosubstrate, the final 1,3-PD production, conversion from glycerol and productivity were 71.58 g/l, 0.65 mol/mol and 1.93 g/l/h, respectively, which were 17.8%, 25.0% and 17.7% higher than that from glycerol alone.     

Inactivation of aldehyde dehydrogenase: a key factor for engineering 1,3-propanediol production by Klebsiella pneumoniae

Production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) from glycerol by Klebsiella pneumoniae is restrained by ethanol formation. The first step in the formation of ethanol from acetyl-CoA is catalyzed by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), an enzyme that competes with 1,3-PD oxidoreductase for the cofactor NADH. This study aimed to improve the production of 1,3-PD by engineering the ethanol formation pathway. An inactivation mutation of the aldA gene encoding ALDH in K. pneumoniae YMU2 was generated by insertion of a tetracycline resistance marker. Inactivation of ALDH resulted in a nearly abolished ethanol formation but a significantly improved 1,3-PD production. Metabolic flux analysis revealed that a pronounced redistribution of intracellular metabolic flux occurred. The final titer, the productivity of 1,3-PD and the yield of 1,3-PD relative to glycerol of the mutant strain reached 927.6 mmol L(-1), 14.05 mmol L(-1)h(-1) and 0.699 mol mol(-1), respectively, which were much higher than those of the parent strain. In addition, the specific 1,3-PD-producing capability (1,3-PD produced per gram of cells) of the mutant strain was 2-fold that of the parent strain due to a lower growth yield of the mutant. By increasing NADH availability, this study demonstrates an important metabolic engineering approach to improve the efficiency of oxidoreduction-coupled bioprocesses.     

1,3-Propanediol production by Escherichia coli expressing genes from the Klebsiella pneumoniae dha regulon.

The dha regulon in Klebsiella pneumoniae enables the organism to grow anaerobically on glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD). Escherichia coli, which does not have a dha system, is unable to grow anaerobically on glycerol without an exogenous electron acceptor and does not produce 1,3-PD. A genomic library of K. pneumoniae ATCC 25955 constructed in E. coli AG1 was enriched for the ability to grow anaerobically on glycerol and dihydroxyacetone and was screened for the production of 1,3-PD. The cosmid pTC1 (42.5 kb total with an 18.2-kb major insert) was isolated from a 1,3-PD-producing strain of E. coli and found to possess enzymatic activities associated with four genes of the dha regulon: glycerol dehydratase (dhaB), 1,3-PD oxidoreductase (dhaT), glycerol dehydrogenase (dhaD), and dihydroxyacetone kinase (dhaK). All four activities were inducible by the presence of glycerol. When E. coli AG1/pTC1 was grown on complex medium plus glycerol, the yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol was 0.46 mol/mol. The major fermentation by-products were formate, acetate, and D-lactate. 1,3-PD is an intermediate in organic synthesis and polymer production. The 1,3-PD fermentation provides a useful model system for studying the interaction of a biochemical pathway in a foreign host and for developing strategies for metabolic pathway engineering.     

1,3-Propanediol production by Escherichia coli expressing genes from the Klebsiella pneumoniae dha regulon.

The dha regulon in Klebsiella pneumoniae enables the organism to grow anaerobically on glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD). Escherichia coli, which does not have a dha system, is unable to grow anaerobically on glycerol without an exogenous electron acceptor and does not produce 1,3-PD. A genomic library of K. pneumoniae ATCC 25955 constructed in E. coli AG1 was enriched for the ability to grow anaerobically on glycerol and dihydroxyacetone and was screened for the production of 1,3-PD. The cosmid pTC1 (42.5 kb total with an 18.2-kb major insert) was isolated from a 1,3-PD-producing strain of E. coli and found to possess enzymatic activities associated with four genes of the dha regulon: glycerol dehydratase (dhaB), 1,3-PD oxidoreductase (dhaT), glycerol dehydrogenase (dhaD), and dihydroxyacetone kinase (dhaK). All four activities were inducible by the presence of glycerol. When E. coli AG1/pTC1 was grown on complex medium plus glycerol, the yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol was 0.46 mol/mol. The major fermentation by-products were formate, acetate, and D-lactate. 1,3-PD is an intermediate in organic synthesis and polymer production. The 1,3-PD fermentation provides a useful model system for studying the interaction of a biochemical pathway in a foreign host and for developing strategies for metabolic pathway engineering.     

Isolation and Characterization of Clostridium butyricum DSM 5431 Mutants with Increased Resistance to 1,3-Propanediol and Altered Production of Acids

Clostridium butyricum mutants were isolated from the parent strain DSM 5431 after mutagenesis with N-methyl-N(prm1)-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and two selection procedures: osmotic pressure and the proton suicide method. Isolated mutants were more resistant to glycerol and to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) than was the wild type, and they produced more biomass. In batch culture on 62 g of glycerol per liter, the wild type produced more acetic acid than butyrate, with an acetate/butyrate ratio of 5.0, whereas the mutants produced almost the same quantities of both acids or more butyrate than acetate with acetate/butyrate ratios from 0.6 to 1.1. The total acid formation was higher in the wild-type strain. Results of analysis of key metabolic enzymatic activities were in accordance with the pattern of fermentation product formation: either the butyrate kinase activity increased or the acetate kinase activity decreased in cell extracts of the mutants. A decreased level of the hydrogenase and NADH-ferredoxin activities concomitant with an increase in ferredoxin-NAD(sup+) reductase activities supports the conclusion that the maximum percentage of NADH available and used for the formation of 1,3-PD was higher for the mutants (97 to 100%) than for the wild type (70%). In fed-batch culture, at the end of the fermentation (72 h for the wild-type strain and 80 to 85 h for the mutants), 44% more glycerol was consumed and 50% more 1,3-PD was produced by the mutants than by the wild-type strain.     

Physiologic mechanisms of sequential products synthesis in 1,3-propanediol fed-batch fermentation by Klebsiella pneumoniae

The glycerol fed-batch fermentation by Klebsiella pneumoniae CGMCC 1.6366 exhibited the sequential synthesis of products, including acetate, 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), 2,3-butanediol, ethanol, succinate, and lactate. The dominant flux distribution was shifted from acetate formation to 1,3-PD formation in early- exponential growth phase and then to lactate synthesis in late-exponential growth phase. The underlying physiological mechanism of the above observations has been investigated via the related enzymes, nucleotide, and intermediary metabolites analysis. The carbon flow shift is dictated by the intrinsic physiological state and enzymatic activity regulation. Especially, the internal redox state could serve as a rate-controlling factor for 1,3-PD production. The q(1,3-PD) formation was the combined outcomes of regulations of glycerol dehydratase activity and internal redox balancing. The q(ethanol)/q(acetate) ratios demonstrated the flexible adaptation mechanism of K. pneumoniae preferring ATP generation in early-exponential growth phase. A low PEP to pyruvate ratio corresponded LDH activity increase, leading to lactate accumulation in stationary phase.     

Construction and Characterization of a 1,3-Propanediol Operon

The genes for the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) in Klebsiella pneumoniae, dhaB, which encodes glycerol dehydratase, and dhaT, which encodes 1,3-PD oxidoreductase, are naturally under the control of two different promoters and are transcribed in different directions. These genes were reconfigured into an operon containing dhaB followed by dhaT under the control of a single promoter. The operon contains unique restriction sites to facilitate replacement of the promoter and other modifications. In a fed-batch cofermentation of glycerol and glucose, Escherichia coli containing the operon consumed 9.3 g of glycerol per liter and produced 6.3 g of 1,3-PD per liter. The fermentation had two distinct phases. In the first phase, significant cell growth occurred and the products were mainly 1,3-PD and acetate. In the second phase, very little growth occurred and the main products were 1,3-PD and pyruvate. The first enzyme in the 1,3-PD pathway, glycerol dehydratase, requires coenzyme B₁₂, which must be provided in E. coli fermentations. However, the amount of coenzyme B₁₂ needed was quite small, with 10 nM sufficient for good 1,3-PD production in batch cofermentations. 1,3-PD is a useful intermediate in the production of polyesters. The 1,3-PD operon was designed so that it can be readily modified for expression in other prokaryotic hosts; therefore, it is useful for metabolic engineering of 1,3-PD pathways from glycerol and other substrates such as glucose.     

Improved 1,3-propanediol production by engineering the 2,3-butanediol and formic acid pathways in integrative recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae

In the biotechnological process, insufficient cofactor NADH and multiple by-products restrain the final titer of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD). In this study, 1,3-PD production was improved by engineering the 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) and formic acid pathways in integrative recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae. The formation of 2,3-BD is catalysed by acetoin reductase (AR). An inactivation mutation of the AR in K. pneumoniae CF was generated by insertion of a formate dehydrogenase gene. Inactivation of AR and expression of formate dehydrogenase reduced 2,3-BD formation and improved 1,3-PD production. Fermentation results revealed that intracellular metabolic flux was redistributed pronouncedly. The yield of 1,3-PD reached 0.74 mol/mol glycerol in flask fermentation, which is higher than the theoretical yield. In 5 L fed-batch fermentation, the final titer and 1,3-PD yield of the K. pneumoniae CF strain reached 72.2 g/L and 0.569 mol/mol, respectively, which were 15.9% and 21.7% higher than those of the wild-type strain. The titers of 2,3-BD and formic acid decreased by 52.2% and 73.4%, respectively. By decreasing the concentration of all nonvolatile by-products and by increasing the availability of NADH, this study demonstrates an important strategy in the metabolic engineering of 1,3-PD production by integrative recombinant hosts.     

Isolation of microorganisms able to produce 1,3-propanediol and optimization of medium constituents for Klebsiella pneumoniae AJ4

Microbial fermentation under anaerobic and microaerobic conditions has been used for the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), a monomer used to produce polymers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate. In this study, we screened microorganisms using the high throughput screening method and isolated the Klebsiella pneumoniae AJ4 strain, which is able to produce 1,3-PD under aerobic conditions. To obtain the maximum 1,3-PD concentration from glycerol, the response surface methodology based on a central composite design was chosen to show the statistical significance of the effects of glycerol, peptone, and (NH₄)₂SO₄ on 1,3-PD production by K. pneumoniae AJ4. The optimal culture medium factors for achieving maximum concentrations of 1,3-PD included glycerol, 108.5 g/L; peptone, 2.72 g/L; and (NH₄)₂SO_4, 4.38 g/L. Under this optimum condition, the maximum concentration of 1,3-PD, 54.76 g/L, was predicted. A concentration of about 52.59 g/L 1,3-PD was obtained using the optimized medium during 26-h batch fermentation, a finding that agreed well with the predicted value.     

Change in proteomic profiles of genetically modified 1,3-propanediol-producing recombinant E. coli

The recombinant E. coli Delta6 mutant (galR, glpK, gldA, IdhA, lacI, tpiA) was used to produce 1,3-propanediol (PD) from glucose. The 1,3-PD production increased with feedback control of the glucose concentration using fed-batch fermentation. The maximum 1,3-PD concentration produced was 43 g/l after 60 h of fermentation. Glycerol production was minimized when controlling the glucose concentration at less than 1 g/l. The expression levels of seven enzymes related to the 1,3-PD production metabolism were compared during the cell growth phase and 1,3-PD production phase, and their expression levels all increased during 1,3-PD production, with the exception of alcohol dehydrogenase.