<Emphasis Type="Italic">In silico</Emphasis> improvement of heterologous biosynthesis of erythromycin precursor 6-deoxyerythronolide B in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

The heterologous biosynthesis of 6-deoxyerythronolide B (6dEB), a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of erythromycin, has recently been achieved in Escherichia coli, but the experimental product yield remains low. In this study, in silico strategies were adopted to evaluate and improve the biosynthesis of 6dEB in this strain. The theoretical capability of E. coli to produce 6dEB was first evaluated by analyzing the maximum theoretical molar yield (MTMY) of 6dEB utilizing three carbon sources, glucose, propionate and glycerol. Although propionate is presently most often used experimentally, our results indicated that glucose would be the most feasible substrate for 6dEB production from economic and long-term standpoints. Compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis, E. coli was found to be a better heterologous host for the biosynthesis of 6dEB due to the higher MTMY value under the same conditions. Two strategies, including a flux distribution comparison analysis (FDCA) and linear minimization of metabolic adjustment based (LMOMA-based) methods, were proposed and employed for in silico strain improvement of 6dEB production, which yielded several potential gene targets for future experimental validation. In a further analysis, increasing the specific growth rate (SGR) or the non-growth associated maintenance (NGAM) was found to decrease the MTMY; while increasing the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) or the specific carbon source uptake rate (SCUR) increased the MTMY. Taken together, our findings identified key factors directly affecting the MTMY of 6dEB production, which will guide future experimental research or even the industrial production of 6dEB.     

Metabolic Flux Responses to Pyruvate Kinase Knockout in Escherichia coli

The intracellular carbon flux distribution in wild-type and pyruvate kinase-deficient Escherichia coli was estimated using biosynthetically directed fractional 13C labeling experiments with [U-13C6]glucose in glucose- or ammonia-limited chemostats, two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of cellular amino acids, and a comprehensive isotopomer model. The general response to disruption of both pyruvate kinase isoenzymes in E. coli was a local flux rerouting via the combined reactions of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase and malic enzyme. Responses in the pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were strongly dependent on the environmental conditions. In addition, high futile cycling activity via the gluconeogenic PEP carboxykinase was identified at a low dilution rate in glucose-limited chemostat culture of pyruvate kinase-deficient E. coli, with a turnover that is comparable to the specific glucose uptake rate. Furthermore, flux analysis in mutant cultures indicates that glucose uptake in E. coli is not catalyzed exclusively by the phosphotransferase system in glucose-limited cultures at a low dilution rate. Reliability of the flux estimates thus obtained was verified by statistical error analysis and by comparison to intracellular carbon flux ratios that were independently calculated from the same NMR data by metabolic flux ratio analysis.     

红霉素大环内酯合成通路在大肠杆菌中的重建

研究在大肠杆菌中重建了红霉素大环内酯(6-脱氧-红霉内酯B,6dEB)合成通路。先将参与6dEB合成所必需的基因分别克隆于多基因串联共表达载体中,获得单基因重组质粒;再利用载体中XbaⅠ/SpeⅠ互为同尾酶的特性实现相关基因的串联组合,获得多基因重组质粒pBJ130和pBJ144。将多基因重组质粒共转化BAP1,获得含6dEB合成通路的工程菌株BAP1(pBJ130/pBJ144),SDS-PAGE检测结果显示通路中各基因均有明显的表达;进行低温发酵,产物粗提后质谱检测到6dEB,其产量约10 mg/L。表明成功实现了6dEB合成通路在大肠杆菌中的重建,为红霉素大环内酯的改造和修饰提供了平台,也为红霉素合成通路在大肠杆菌中的完整重建以及聚酮类抗生素的组合性生物合成提供了参考。     

基于代谢流量分布信息理解大肠杆菌中异柠檬酸裂解酶调节因子的代谢调控作用

基因的表达受不同的转录调节因子调节。大肠杆菌中的异柠檬酸裂解酶调节因子(IclR)能够抑制编码乙醛酸支路酶的aceBAK操纵子的表达。本研究基于代谢物的13C同位体物质分布来定量解析代谢反应,主要研究了iclR基因在大肠杆菌生理和代谢中的作用。大肠杆菌iclR基因缺失突变株的生长速率、糖耗速率和乙酸的产量相对于原始菌株都有所降低,但菌体得率略有增加。通过代谢途径的流量比率分析发现基因缺失株的乙醛酸支路得到了激活,33%的异柠檬酸流经了乙醛酸支路;戊糖磷酸途径的流量变小,使得CO2的生成量减少。同时,乙醛酸支路激活,但草酰乙酸形成磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸的流量基本不变,说明磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸-乙醛酸循环没有激活,没有过多的碳原子在磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化激酶反应中以CO2形式排出,从而确保了菌体得率。葡萄糖利用速率的降低、乙酰辅酶A的代谢效率提高等使得iclR基因敲除菌的乙酸分泌较原始菌株有所降低。     

不同溶氧条件下L-苏氨酸生物合成菌株的代谢流量分析

[目的]探索L-苏氨酸生物合成机理及影响因素.[方法]建立了大肠杆菌L-苏氨酸的代谢流平衡模型,应用MATLAB软件计算出不同溶氧条件下发酵中后期代谢网络的代谢流分布及理想代谢流分布.[结果]5%溶氧条件下,25.5%碳架进入HMP途径,74.5%碳架进入糖酵解途径,获得33.9%质量转化率;20%溶氧条件下,58.08%碳架进入HMP途径,41.92%碳架进入糖酵解途径,获得46.5%质量转化率;[结论]与理想代谢流(88.23%质量转化率)相比,应从菌种改造和发酵控制方面通过改变6-磷酸葡萄糖异构酶借以增加HMP途径代谢流量,通过增加磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化反应代谢流提高天冬氨酸族合成代谢流,减少TCA循环代谢流量,从而达到减少副产物生成,增加L-苏氨酸生物合成的目的.     

Metabolic flux analysis of Escherichia coli deficient in the acetate production pathway and expressing the Bacillus subtilis acetolactate synthase

Several approaches to reduce acetate accumulation in Escherichia coli cultures have recently been reported. This reduction subsequently led to a significant enhancement in recombinant protein production. In those studies, metabolically engineered E. coli strains with reduced acetate synthesis rates were constructed through the modification of glucose uptake rate, the elimination of critical enzymes that are involved in the acetate formation pathways, and the redirection of carbon flux toward less inhibitory byproducts. In particular, it has been shown that strains carrying the Bacillus subtilis acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene not only produce less acetate but also have a higher ATP yield. Metabolic flux analysis of carbon flux distribution of the central metabolic pathways and at the pyruvate branch point revealed that this strain has the ability to channel excess pyruvate to the much less toxic compound, acetoin. The main focus of this study is the systematic analysis of the effects of small perturbations in the host's existing pathways on the redistribution of carbon fluxes. Specifically, a mutant with deleted acetate kinase (ACK) and acetyl phosphotransferase (PTA) was constructed and studied. Results from the metabolic analysis of carbon redistribution show the ackA-pta mutation will reduce acetate level at the expense of the growth rate. In addition, in the ackA-pta deficient strain a much higher lactate formation rate with simultaneously lower formate and ethanol synthesis rates was found. Expression of the B. subtilis ALS in ackA-pta mutants further reduces acetate levels while cell density similar to that of the parent strain is attained.     

葡萄糖和麦芽糖碳源底物对粪产碱杆菌合成凝胶多糖的胞内代谢流影响*

麦芽糖和葡萄糖对粪产碱杆菌发酵合成凝胶多糖有着显著的影响,为了详细分析两种底物对凝胶多糖合成的影响机制,利用恒化培养实验及稳态碳平衡代谢分析,研究发现在稀释速率为0.1h^-1时,利用麦芽糖和葡萄糖为碳源底物的条件下粪产碱杆菌的微观代谢途径通量有较大的差异。以麦芽糖为底物时凝胶多糖的摩尔得率为53.8%,比葡萄糖为碳源时的摩尔得率(36.9%)高出了45.8%以上。同时以麦芽糖为碳源时HMP途径的绝对代谢通量比葡萄糖时的通量提升了40%以上。这条途径通量的增加,提升了NADPH还原力供给速率,促进了依赖于还原力NADPH的凝胶多糖合成途径通量,提升了碳源底物向产物的摩尔转化速率。而且代谢流分析结果显示ED途径通量和能量提供也是影响粪产碱杆菌凝胶多糖合成效率的关键因素。麦芽糖作为碳源底物过程中维持的较低的残留葡萄糖浓度解除了高葡萄糖浓度条件下对凝胶多糖合成的抑制,能够实现更高通量的ATP能量提供效率,更加促进了凝胶多糖合成通量。     

Reduction of aerobic acetate production by Escherichia coli.

Acetate excretion by Escherichia coli during aerobic growth on glucose is a major obstacle to enhanced recombinant protein production. We report here that the fraction of carbon flux through the anaplerotic pathways is one of the factors influencing acetate excretion. Flux analysis of E. coli central metabolic pathways predicts that increasing the fraction of carbon flux through the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC) pathway and the glyoxylate bypass reduces acetate production. We tested this prediction by overexpressing PPC and deregulating the glyoxylate bypass by using a fadR strain. Results show that the acetate yield by the fadR strain with PPC overexpression is decreased more than fourfold compared to the control, while the biomass yield is relatively unaffected. Apparently, the fraction of carbon flux through the anaplerotic pathways is one of the factors that influence acetate excretion. These results confirm the prediction of our flux analysis and further suggest that E. coli is not fully optimized for efficient utilization of glucose.     

Effect of zwf gene knockout on the metabolism of Escherichia coli grown on glucose or acetate

The mutant deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) was constructed by disrupting zwf gene by one-step inactivation protocol using polymerase chain reaction primers. The knockout of zwf gene was shown to have different influence on the metabolism of Escherichia coli grown on glucose or acetate. The decreased rates of substrate uptake and CO(2) production were found for the mutant grown on acetate, whereas these two rates were increased during the growth on glucose. The metabolic flux analysis based on (13)C-labeling experiments indicates that the metabolism of the mutant grown on glucose is related to the higher flux via tricorboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to generate anabolic reducing equivalents normally provided by the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. However, the metabolism of the mutant grown on acetate shows a lower flux towards the TCA cycle as compared with the parent strain. The decreased flux through TCA cycle is associated with an increased flux via the glyoxylate shunt, by which the carbon source can bypass the two decarboxylative steps of TCA cycle in which CO(2) is released, thus conserving more carbon for biosynthesis in response to the decreased uptake rate of the carbon source.     

A metabolic model of cellular energetics and carbon flux during aerobic Escherichia coli fermentation

An integrated metabolic model for the production of acetate by Escherichia coli growing on glucose under aerobic conditions was presented previously (Ko et al., 1993). The resulting model equations can be used to explain phenomena often observed with industrial fermentations, i.e., increased acetate production which follows from high glucose uptake rate, a low dissolved oxygen concentration, a high specific growth rate, or a combination of these conditions. However, several questions still need to be addressed. First, cell composition is growth rate and media dependent. Second, the macromolecular composition varied between E. coli strains. And finally, a model that represents the carbon fluxes between the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) and the hexose monophosphate (HMP) pathways when cells are subject to internal and/or external stresses is still not well defined. In the present work, we have made an effort to account for these effects, and the resulting model equations show good agreement for wild-type and recombinant E. coli experimental data for the acetate concentration, the onset of acetate secretion, and cell yield based on glucose. These results are useful for optimizing aerobic E. coli fermentation processes. More specifically, we have determined the EMP pathway carbon flux profiles required by the integrated metabolic model for an accurate fit of the acetic acid profile data from a wild-type E. coli strain ML308. These EMP carbon flux profiles were correlated with a dimensionless measurement of biomass and then used to predict the acetic acid profiles for E. coli strain F-122 expressing human immunodeficiency virus-(HIV(528)) beta-galactosidase fusion protein. The effect of different macromolecular compositions and growth rates between these two E. coli strains required a constant scaling factor for improved quantitative predictions.     

Metabolic analysis of Escherichia coli in the presence and absence of the carboxylating enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate carboxylase

Fermentation patterns of Escherichia coli with and without the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC) and pyruvate carboxylase (PYC) enzymes were compared under anaerobic conditions with glucose as a carbon source. Time profiles of glucose and fermentation product concentrations were determined and used to calculate metabolic fluxes through central carbon pathways during exponential cell growth. The presence of the Rhizobium etli pyc gene in E. coli (JCL1242/pTrc99A-pyc) restored the succinate producing ability of E. coli ppc null mutants (JCL1242), with PYC competing favorably with both pyruvate formate lyase and lactate dehydrogenase. Succinate formation was slightly greater by JCL1242/pTrc99A-pyc than by cells which overproduced PPC (JCL1242/pPC201, ppc(+)), even though PPC activity in cell extracts of JCL1242/pPC201 (ppc(+)) was 40-fold greater than PYC activity in extracts of JCL1242/pTrc99a-pyc. Flux calculations indicate that during anaerobic metabolism the pyc(+) strain had a 34% greater specific glucose consumption rate, a 37% greater specific rate of ATP formation, and a 6% greater specific growth rate compared to the ppc(+) strain. In light of the important position of pyruvate at the juncture of NADH-generating pathways and NADH-dissimilating branches, the results show that when PPC or PYC is expressed, the metabolic network adapts by altering the flux to lactate and the molar ratio of ethanol to acetate formation.     

Production of the potent antibacterial polyketide erythromycin C in Escherichia coli

An Escherichia coli strain capable of producing the potent antibiotic erythromycin C (Ery C) was developed by expressing 17 new heterologous genes in a 6-deoxyerythronolide B (6dEB) producer strain. The megalomicin gene cluster was used as the source for the construction of two artificial operons that contained the genes encoding the deoxysugar biosynthetic and tailoring enzymes necessary to convert 6dEB to Ery C. The reconstructed mycarose operon contained the seven genes coding for the enzymes that convert glucose-1-phosphate (G-1-P) to TDP-L-mycarose, a 6dEB mycarosyl transferase, and a 6dEB 6-hydroxylase. The activity of the pathway was confirmed by demonstrating conversion of exogenous 6dEB to 3-O-alpha-mycarosylerythronolide B (MEB). The reconstructed desosamine operon contained the six genes necessary to convert TDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose, an intermediate formed in the mycarose pathway, to TDP-D-desosamine, a desosamine transferase, a 6dEB 12-hydroxylase, and the rRNA methyltransferase ErmE; the last was required to confer resistance to the host cell upon production of mature macrolide antibiotics. The activity of this pathway was demonstrated by conversion of MEB to Ery C. When the mycarose and desosamine operons were expressed in an E. coli strain engineered to synthesize 6dEB, Ery C and Ery D were produced. The successful production of Ery C in E. coli shows the potentiality of this model microorganism to synthesize novel 6-deoxysugars and to produce bioactive glycosylated compounds and also establishes the basis for the future use of E. coli both in the production of new glycosylated polyketides and for the generation of novel bioactive compounds through combinatorial biosynthesis.     

Metabolic flux analysis for a ppc mutant Escherichia coli based on 13C-labelling experiments together with enzyme activity assays and intracellular metabolite measurements

The physiology and central metabolism of a ppc mutant Escherichia coli were investigated based on the metabolic flux distribution obtained by (13)C-labelling experiments using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) strategies together with enzyme activity assays and intracellular metabolite concentration measurements. Compared to the wild type, its ppc mutant excreted little acetate and produced less carbon dioxide at the expense of a slower growth rate and a lower glucose uptake rate. Consequently, an improvement of the biomass yield on glucose was observed in the ppc mutant. Enzyme activity measurements revealed that isocitrate lyase activity increased by more than 3-fold in the ppc mutant. Some TCA cycle enzymes such as citrate synthase, aconitase and malate dehydrogenase were also upregulated, but enzymes of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway were downregulated. The intracellular intermediates in the glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway, therefore, accumulated, while acetyl coenzyme A and oxaloacetate concentrations decreased in the ppc mutant. The intracellular metabolic flux analysis uncovered that deletion of ppc resulted in the appearance of the glyoxylate shunt, with 18.9% of the carbon flux being channeled via the glyoxylate shunt. However, the flux of the pentose phosphate pathway significantly decreased in the ppc mutant.     

利用合成调控RNA技术提高大肠杆菌异源合成红霉素前体6-脱氧红霉内酯B产量

红霉素为代表的聚酮类化合物已经成功的在大肠杆菌中实现了异源合成,但其产量仍然较低(仅~10 mg/L)。本研究基于大肠杆菌全基因组代谢模型iAF1260,利用通量平衡分析预测了红霉素母核6-脱氧红霉内酯(6-Deoxyerythronolide B,6-d EB)生物合成的关键靶点,通过合成调控RNA技术(Synthetic small regulatory RNAs,sRNAs)对预测的靶点进行验证。结果表明,以弱化lsrC(编码LsrABC转运蛋白)和ack A(编码乙酸激酶蛋白)为代表的关键靶点改造可以显著提高6-d EB异源合成,提高幅度可达48.7%。通过弱化靶点的组合,进一步改善了6-d EB的异源合成,产量最终可达22.8 mg/L,比出发菌株产量提高59.9%。本研究发现和确认了6个有效的调控靶点,最终成功地改善了6-d EB在大肠杆菌中的异源合成。研究表明,通量分布比较分析结合sRNAs技术是一种有效的方法提高6-d EB异源合成,也为改善其他代谢产物的异源合成提供了可供借鉴的研究思路。     

Metabolic pathway analysis for rational design of L-methionine production by Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum

Metabolic pathway analysis was carried out to predict the metabolic potential of Corynebacterium glutamicum and Escherichia coli for the production of L-methionine. Based on detailed stoichiometric models for these organisms, this allowed the calculation of the theoretically optimal methionine yield and related metabolic fluxes for various scenarios involving different mutants and process conditions. The theoretical optimal methionine yield on the substrates glucose, sulfate and ammonia for the wildtype of C. glutamicum is 0.49 (C-mol) (C-mol)(-1), whereas the E. coli wildtype exhibits an even higher potential of 0.52 (C-mol) (C-mol)(-1). Both strains showed completely different optimal flux distributions. C. glutamicum has a high flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), whereas the TCA cycle flux is very low. Additionally, it recruits a metabolic cycle, which involves 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate. In contrast, E. coli does minimize the flux through the PPP, and the flux through the TCA cycle is high. The improved potential of the E. coli wildtype is due to its membrane-bound transhydrogenase and its glycine cleavage system as shown by additional simulations with theoretical mutants. A key point for maximizing methionine yield is the choice of the sulfur source. Replacing sulfate by thiosulfate or sulfide increased the maximal theoretical yield in C. glutamicum up to 0.68 (C-mol) (C-mol)(-1). A further increase is possible by the application of additional C1 sources. The highest theoretical potential was obtained for C. glutamicum applying methanethiol as combined source for C1 carbon and sulfur (0.91 (C-mol) (C-mol)(-1)). Substrate requirement for maintenance purposes reduces theoretical methionine yields. In the case of sulfide used as sulfur source a maintenance requirement of 9.2 mmol ATP g(-1) h(-1), as was observed under stress conditions, would reduce the maximum theoretical yield from 67.8% to 47% at a methionine production rate of 0.65 mmol g(-1) h(-1). The enormous capability of both organisms encourages the development of biotechnological methionine production, whereby the use of metabolic pathway analysis, as shown, provides valuable advice for future strategies in strain and process improvement.     

In silico prediction and validation of the importance of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

The metabolic network of Escherichia coli was constructed and was used to simulate the distribution of metabolic fluxes in wild-type E. coli and recombinant E. coli producing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)]. The flux of acetyl-CoA into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which competes with the P(3HB) biosynthesis pathway, decreased significantly during P(3HB) production. It was notable to find from in silico analysis that the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway flux increased significantly under P(3HB)-accumulating conditions. To prove the role of ED pathway on P(3HB) production, a mutant E. coli strain, KEDA, which is defective in the activity of 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase (Eda), was examined as a host strain for the production of P(3HB) by transforming it with pJC4, a plasmid containing the Alcaligenes latus P(3HB) biosynthesis operon. The P(3HB) content obtained with KEDA (pJC4) was lower than that obtained with its parent strain KS272 (pJC4). The reduced P(3HB) biosynthetic capacity of KEDA (pJC4) could be restored by the co-expression of the E. coli eda gene, which proves the important role of ED pathway on P(3HB) synthesis in recombinant E. coli as predicted by metabolic flux analysis.     

Responses of the central metabolism in Escherichia coli to phosphoglucose isomerase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase knockouts

The responses of Escherichia coli central carbon metabolism to knockout mutations in phosphoglucose isomerase and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) dehydrogenase genes were investigated by using glucose- and ammonia-limited chemostats. The metabolic network structures and intracellular carbon fluxes in the wild type and in the knockout mutants were characterized by using the complementary methods of flux ratio analysis and metabolic flux analysis based on [U-(13)C]glucose labeling and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of cellular amino acids, glycerol, and glucose. Disruption of phosphoglucose isomerase resulted in use of the pentose phosphate pathway as the primary route of glucose catabolism, while flux rerouting via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway and the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway compensated for the G6P dehydrogenase deficiency. Furthermore, additional, unexpected flux responses to the knockout mutations were observed. Most prominently, the glyoxylate shunt was found to be active in phosphoglucose isomerase-deficient E. coli. The Entner-Doudoroff pathway also contributed to a minor fraction of the glucose catabolism in this mutant strain. Moreover, although knockout of G6P dehydrogenase had no significant influence on the central metabolism under glucose-limited conditions, this mutation resulted in extensive overflow metabolism and extremely low tricarboxylic acid cycle fluxes under ammonia limitation conditions.     

Reducing the glucose uptake rate in Escherichia coli affects growth rate but not protein production

Although glucose is an inexpensive substrate widely used as a carbon source in Escherichia coli recombinant fermentation technology, 10-30% of the carbon supply is wasted by excreting acetate. In addition to the loss of carbon source, the excretion of a weak acid may result in increased energetic demands and hence a decreased yield. Because glucose can enter the cell via several transport systems, isogenic strains defective in one or two of these transport systems were constructed. The effects of changes in the glucose uptake capacity on the in vivo flux distribution to a desired end product (beta-galactosidase) and to acetate were studied. The lack of one of the components (IICB(Glc) protein) of the glucose-phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (Glc-PTS) reduced the growth rate significantly. The maintenance of a low-copy plasmid in this strain resulted in further arrest of the growth rate. However, beta-galactosidase production had no effect on growth rate. This strain directed more carbon into biomass and carbon dioxide, and less into acetate. Beta-galactosidase was produced in amounts not significantly different from the wild-type strain from half the amount of glucose. An explanation for the experimental results is given, making use of published results on metabolic regulation.     

Metabolic flux distribution and thermodynamic analysis of green fluorescent protein production in recombinant Escherichia coli: The effect of carbon source and CO 2 partial pressure

Increasing recombinant protein production yields from bacterial cultures remains an important challenge in biotechnology. Acetate accumulation due to high dissolved carbon dioxide (pCO₂) concentrations in the medium has been identified as a factor that negatively affects such yields. Under appropriate culture conditions, acetate could be re-assimilated by bacterial cells to maintain heterologous proteins production. In this work, we developed a simplified metabolic network aiming to establish a reaction rate analysis for a recombinant Escherichia coli when producing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under controlled pCO₂ concentrations. Because E. coli is able to consume both glucose and acetate, the analysis was performed in two stages. Our results indicated that GFP synthesis is an independent process of cellular growth in some culture phases. Additionally, recombinant protein production is influenced by the available carbon source and the amount of pCO₂ in the culture medium. When growing on glucose, the increase in the pCO₂ concentration produced a down-regulation of central carbon metabolism by directing the carbon flux toward acetate accumulation; as a result, cellular growth and the overall GFP yield decreased. However, the maximum specific rate of GFP synthesis occurred with acetate as the main available carbon source, despite the low activity in the other metabolic pathways. To maintain cellular functions, including GFP synthesis, carbon flux was re-distributed toward the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway to produce ATP and NADH. The thermodynamic analysis allowed demonstrating the feasibility of the simplified network for describing the metabolic state of a recombinant system.