Fermentative production of P(3HB-co-3HV) from propionic acid by Alcaligenes eutrophus in fed-batch culture with pH-stat continuous substrate feeding method

The feeding of propionic acid for production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-3HV)] by Alcaligenes eutrophus ATCC17697 was optimized using a fed-batch culture system. The concentration of propionic acid was maintained at 3 g l^–1 as growth was inhibited by propionic acid in the broth. A pH-stat substrate feeding system was used in which propionic acid was fed automatically to maintain a pH of the culture broth at 7.0. By feeding a substrate solution containing 20% (w/v) propionic acid, 4.9% (w/v) ammonia water [at a molar ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N molar ratio) of 10] in cell growth phase, the concentration of propionic acid in the broth was maintained at 3 g l^–1 giving a specific growth rate of 0.4 h^–1. To promote P(3HB-co-3HV) production, two stage fed-batch culture which consisted of the stage for the cell growth and the stage for the P(3HB-co-3HV) accumulation was carried out. When the substrate solution whose C/N molar ratio was 50 was fed in P(3HB-co-3HV) accumulation phase, the cell concentration and the P(3HB-co-3HV) content in the cells reached 64 g l^–1 and 58% (w/w) in 55.5 h, respectively.     

Production of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) by fed-batch culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus with glucose concentration control

Alcaligenes eutrophus NCIMB 11599 was cultivated to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) from glucose by the automatic fed-batch culture technique. The glucose concentration of the culture broth was controlled at 10 to 20 g/L by two methods: using exit gas data obtained from a mass spectrometer and using an on-line glucose analyzer. The effect of ammonium limitation on PHB synthesis at different culture phases was studied. The final cell concentration, PHB concentration, and PHB productivity increased as ammonia feeding was stopped at a higher cell concentration. High concentrations of PHB (121 g/L) and total cells (164 g/L) were obtained in 50 h when ammonia feeding was stopped at the cell concentration of 70 g/L. The maximum PHB content reached 76% of dry cell weight and the productivity was 2.42 g/L h with the yield of 0.3 g PHB/g glucose.     

Production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) by high cell density fed-batch culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus with phospate limitation

High cell density fed-batch fermentation of Alcaligenes eutrophus was carried out for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in a 60-L fermentor. During the fermentation, pH was controlled with NH(4)OH solution and PHB accumulation was induced by phosphate limitation instead of nitrogen limitation. The glucose feeding was controlled by monitoring dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and glucose concentration in the culture broth. The glucose concentration fluctuated within the range of 0-20 g/L. We have investigated the effect of initial phosphate concentration on the PHB production when the initial volume was fixed. Using an initial phosphate concentration of 5.5 g/L, the fed-batch fermentation resulted in a final cell concentration of 281 g/L, a PHB concentration of 232 g/L, and a PHB productivity of 3.14 g/L . h, which are the highest values ever reported to date. In this case, PHB content, cell yield from glucose, and PHB yield from glucose were 80, 0.46, and 0.38% (w/w), respectively. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 28-32, 1997.     

Model predictive controller for biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate production in fed-batch culture

The diketone compound, benzil is reduced to (S)-benzoin with living Bacillus cereus cells. Recently, we isolated a gene responsible for benzil reduction, and Escherichia coli cells in which this gene was overexpressed transformed benzil to (S)-benzoin. Although this benzil reductase showed high identity to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family, enzymological features were unknown. Here, we demonstrated that many B. cereus strains had benzil reductase activity in vivo, and that the benzil reductases shared 94-100% amino acid identities. Recombinant B. cereus benzil reductase produced optically pure (S)-benzoin with NADPH in vitro, and the ketone group distal to a benzene ring was asymmetrically reduced. B. cereus benzil reductase showed 31% amino acid identity to the yeast open reading frame YIR036C protein and 28-30% to mammalian sepiapterin reductases, sharing the seven residues consensus for the SDR family. We isolated the genes encoding yeast YIR036C protein and gerbil sepiapterin reductase, and both recombinant proteins also reduced benzil to (S)-benzoin in vitro. Green fluorescent protein-tagged B. cereus benzil reductase distributed in the bipolar cytoplasm in B. cereus cells. Asymmetric reduction with B. cereus benzil reductase, yeast YIR036C protein and gerbil sepiapterin reductase will be utilized to produce important chiral compounds.     

Alcaligenes eutrophus hydrogenase genes (Hox)

Mutants of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 lacking catalytically active soluble hydrogenase (Hos-) grew very slowly lithoautotrophically with hydrogen. Mutants devoid of particulate hydrogenase activity (Hop-) were not affected in growth with hydrogen. The use of Hos- and Hop- mutants as donors of hydrogen-oxidizing ability in crosses with plasmid-free recipients impaired in both hydrogenases (Hox-) resulted in transconjugants which had inherited the plasmid and the phenotype of the donor. This indicates that the structural genes which code for the hydrogenases reside on plasmid pHG1. The Hox function of one class of Hox- mutants could not be restored by conjugation. These mutants exhibited a pleiotropic phenotype since they were unable to grow with hydrogen and also failed to grow heterotrophically with nitrate (Hox- Nit-). Nitrate was scarcely utilized as electron acceptor or as nitrogen source. Hox- Nit- mutants did not act as recipients but could act as donors of the Hox character. Transconjugants derived from those crosses were Hox+ Nit+, indicating that the mutation which leads to the Hox- Nit- phenotype maps on the chromosome. Apparently, the product of a chromosomal gene is involved in the expression of plasmid-encoded Hox genes. We observed that the elimination of plasmid pHG1 coincided with the occurrence of multiple resistances to various antibiotics. Since Hox+ transconjugate retained the antibiotic-resistant phenotype, we conclude that this property is not directly plasmid associated.     

Kinetics of growth of the hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus (ATCC 17707) in chemostat culture

The hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Alcaligenes eutrophus (ATCC 17707), was grown in chemostat culture with gas-phase (hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide) and liquid-phase (mineral nutrients) feedstreams; data were used to generate an analytical form for the specific growth rate equation. Model parameters obtained include Monod rate parameters for dissolved hydrogen and oxygen gases, yield coefficients, and specific maintenance rates under conditions of hydrogen or oxygen limitations. These values are similar to some obtained previously by Ohi et al. for another hydrogen bacterium. The observed increase in specific maintenance rates under hydrogen-versus-oxygen-limited culture may be associated with hydrogenase deactivation by oxygen.     

Maximum production in a bakers' yeast fed-batch culture by a tubing method

A feedback control system of the glucose feed rate in a bakers' yeast fed-batch culture was developed by keeping the ethanol concentration constant. A PID controller and on–off controller were applied and discussed with the aid of the porous Teflon tubing method. Experimental results showed the effectiveness of the control system for avoiding the glucose effect and glucose starvation. It was shown that the feedback control system developed hare could achieve a maximum specific growth rate of 0.3 h^?1 or a maximum cell yield of 0.5 g cell/g glucose in the fedhyphen;batch culture.     

Cysteine addition strategy for maximum glutathione production in fed-batch culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An efficient method of growing the protozoon Tetrahymena to high cell densities in a 2-1 bioreactor is described. The first phase of the fermentation is a batch phase with minimum generation times (1.4 h). During the next phase medium is exchanged continuously using a perfusion module based on microporous hollow fibres while cell are retained. Compared to standard batch fermentations of this organism 30- to 40-fold higher cell concentrations and dry weights were achieved routinely. A maximum cell concentration of 2.2 × 10⁷ cells/ml and a dry weight of 54 g/l have been obtained. As estimated from isocitrate dehydrogenase activity in the culture medium, no cell damage occurred even at high agitation rates. In addition, the cells remained viable for several weeks. Temporal limitation of the process was due to a decrease in the perfusion rate caused by blocking of the membranes. By X-ray microprobe analysis calcium phosphate depositions were detected in the pores of the clogged hollow-fibre membranes. However, even a T. pyriformis strain possessing mucocysts, dense core secretory organelles that may lead to early membrane clogging, was cultivated successfully for 3 weeks. Additionally, the consumption of nutrient protein and carbohydrates during fermentation was investigated and the effect of different perfusion rates and of glucose was studied in order to increase the efficieny of the system.Correspondence to: A. Tiedtke     

Production of biodegradable copolyesters of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate by Alcaligenes eutrophus

Summary New copolyesters of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) were produced by Alcaligenes eutrophus from various carbon sources of 4-hydroxybutyric acid, 4-chlorobutyric acid, 1,4-butanediol, and -butyrolactone. The composition of copolyesters varied from 0 to 37 mol% 4HB, depending on the carbon sources supplied. The biosynthetic pathway of copolyesters has been discussed. The copolyester film was biodegradable in soil and activated sludge. The rate of biodegradation was enhanced by the presence of 4HB units.     

Correlation between cellular fluorescence and NAD(P)H levels in Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP 134

The culture fluorescence of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP 134 was determined on-line by an Ingold Fluorosensor and correlated to the intracellular concentrations of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate). The data were obtained from aerobic cultures of the strain growing chemostatically on phenol, phenol+sodium formate and fructose, as well as from aerobic/anaerobic transitions and substrate pulse experiments. The total culture fluorescence was corrected to take into account the inner filter effect of cells. Upon analysing the intracellular concentration of the dinucleotides using HPLC, it became evident that both NADH and NADPH contribute significantly to the fluorescence signal. A linear relationship between the sum of NAD(P)H and the net culture fluorescence was obtained from these data with a correlation factor of r=0.82. These investigations indicate that the measurement of culture fluorescence is a practicable tool for monitoring the redox state of a cellular culture, provided the total fluorescence signal is adjusted and the investigations are supported by direct measurements of intracellular levels of reduced dinucleotides.The authors are very grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for supporting this work (B1 345/I-2) and to Prof. T. Scheper (Institute of Biochemistry, University of Münster) for his generous assistance.     

Ammonium (methylammonium) uptake by Alcaligenes eutrophus H16

The uptake of the radioactive ammoniumanalogue ¹⁴C-methylammonium¹ was measured in heterotrophically grown cells of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 in order to study the mechanism of NH ₄ ⁺ uptake. MA gradients of up to 200 were built up by a substrate-specific and energy-dependent system which showed a K _m of 35–111 M and a V _max of 0.4–1.8 nmol MA/min per mg protein. The involved carrier exhibited a higher affinity towards NH ₄ ⁺ than towards CH₃NH ₃ ⁺ indicating that ammonium rather than MA was its natural substrate. Cold shock with hypotonic but not with hypertonic solutions caused the efflux of almost the entire accumulated MA. Osmotic shock did not affect the uptake reaction, suggesting that no periplasmic binding proteins were involved. Indirect observations indicate the membrane potential as driving force for MA uptake. High rates of uptake were observed in cells grown under nitrogen deficiency or with nitrate as nitrogen source. The uptake rate decreased during growth at high ammonium concentrations indicating that biosynthesis of nitrogenous compounds was supported by passive diffusion of NH₃. The data suggest that the formation of the carrier is subject to nitrogen control.Non-standard abbreviations CCCP Carbonylcyanide-m-chlorphe-nylhydazone - MA methylammonium - pCMB para-chlormercuribenzoate     

真养产碱杆菌合成3-羟基丁酸与3-羟基戊酸共聚物发酵条件研究

在摇瓶条件下,对真养产碱杆菌（Ａｌｃａｌｉｇｅｎｅｓｅｕｔｒｏｐｈｕｓ）的３羟基丁酸与３羟基戊酸共聚物（ＰＨＢＶ）发酵过程中ＨＶ组分的前体物质———丙酸的加入时间和加入量进行了研究,结果表明,ＰＨＢＶ中ＨＶ组分含量与丙酸的加入时间和加入量有密切的关系,丙酸的最佳加入时间为菌体生长阶段结束后的多聚物合成初期;尽管高浓度丙酸下可获得较高的ＨＶ组分含量,但会明显抑制菌体的生长和产物的合成。通过对２Ｌ小罐中ＰＨＢＶ合成阶段流加不同糖／酸比混合液所得的发酵结果的比较,并在综合考虑ＰＨＢＶ浓度、ＨＶ组分含量、生产强度和生产成本等基础上,提出了在ＰＨＢＶ合成期流加液的糖／酸比应随菌体对丙酸利用能力的下降而不断增加的流加策略,在此条件下,细胞干重、ＰＨＢＶ浓度和ＰＨＢＶ含量和ＨＶ摩尔分率分别达到５２１ｇ／Ｌ、４０８ｇ／Ｌ、７８３％和１６２ｍｏｌ％,ＨＶ组分对丙酸的产率系数为０５ｇ／ｇ,ＰＨＢＶ的生产强度达到０７４ｇ／（Ｌ／ｈ）。     

Production of copolymer consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate by fed-batch culture of Alcaligenes SP. SH-69

Summary Production of copolymer consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate [poly(3HB-co-3HV)] by fed-batch culture of Alcaligenes sp. SH-69 was investigated using glucose as a sole carbon source. Synthesis of poly(3HB-co-3HV) during the polymer accumulation stage was favored under dissolved oxygen tension at 20% and C/N ratio (mol glucose/mol ammonium) of 23.1. When conditions were optimal, 36 g liter^-1 of poly(3HB-co-3HV) containing 3.0 mol% of 3HV was produced. Decreasing C/N ratio resulted in an increase of 3HV fraction in the copolymer to a maximum level of 6.3 mol%.     

Cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei (RUT-C30) in fed-batch culture

Summary Fed-batch cultures of Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30 attained quasi-steady state conditions, in respect of biomass concentration and enzyme production rate, commensurate with a specific cell maintenance coefficient of 0.029 g cellulose.g biomass.^–1h^–1 and specific cellulase production rate of between 9.6 and 11.9 IU (filter paper activity).g biomass.^–1h^–1. A maximum enzyme yield of 57 IU.m1^–1 at an overall productivity of 201 IU.L.^–1h^–1 resulted from a cellulose feed rate of 1.0g.L.^–1h^–1.     

Batch culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus ATCC 17697T using recycled gas closed circuit culture system

Batch culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus ATCC 17697^T using the recycled gas closed circuit culture system was done with the intention of developing a practical fermentation system for industrial culture of autotrophs. The gas phase of the culture system consisted of substrate gas so that gases in this culture system could be recycled forever as long as the amount of the gas consumed would be refilled. All gasses supplied into this system could be completely used without any loss as exhaust. Thus, this system assures high gas usage efficiency as well as operation safety. Studies on the effect of oxygen concentration showed the high oxygen concentration in substrate gas mixture suppressed the specific growth rate while a low oxygen concentration promoted the growth rate. This introduced the possibility of development of an explosion-free fermentation system with a high growth rate if appropriate system design and fermentation conditions were given. Since this system is closed, material balance and elementary analysis provide the ultimately accurate stoichiometry of the autotrophic culture of this bacterium.     

利用指数流加补料高密度发酵产β-呋喃果糖苷酶重组大肠杆菌

【目的】对重组大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)/pET22b-β-ffase进行高密度发酵产β-呋喃果糖苷酶工艺研究。【方法】比较溶氧反馈补料和指数流加补料对重组菌发酵产酶的影响,对不同比生长速率和诱导时机进行优化。【结果】确定了双阶段指数流加过程中重组菌生长的比生长速率,分别控制诱导前期比生长速率为0.20 h~(-1),诱导后期比生长速率为0.13 h~(-1),诱导时机为指数中期。获得细胞干重约为51 g/L,最高酶活达到1.79×10~5 U/L,单位菌体产酶量为3 510 U/g,单位产酶速率达到3.58×10~4 U/(L·h),生物量、单位菌体产酶量和产酶速率分别是指数流加未优化前的1.8、1.7和3.0倍。【结论】双阶段指数流加补料工艺能有效提高β-呋喃果糖苷酶的产酶量,为β-呋喃果糖苷酶的进一步工业化奠定基础。     

Novel fed-batch strategy for the production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)

The production of Long-R -IGF-1 (an IGF-1 fusion analog) by constant-rate, fed-batch fermentation of Escherichia coli yielded 2.6 g fusion protein/L, corresponding to an actual IGF-1 concentration of 2.2 g/L. A novel strategy employing three distinct feeding stages was developed which raised product concentration to 4.3 g/L (3.6 g/L of IGF-1) while minimising glucose and acetate accumulation. This improved productivity was not accompanied by an increase in inclusion body size.     

Biosynthesis and characterization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) in Alcaligenes eutrophus

Copolyesters of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) were produced by Alcaligenes eutrophus at 30 degrees C in nitrogen-free culture solutions containing gamma-butyrolactone alone or with fructose or butyric acid as the carbon sources. When gamma-butyrolactone was used as the sole carbon source, the 4HB fraction in copolyester increased from 9 to 21 mol% as the concentration of gamma-butyrolactone in the culture solution increased from 10 to 25 g/l. The addition of fructose to the culture solution of gamma-butyrolactone resulted in a decrease in the 4HB fraction in copolyester. The copolyesters produced from gamma-butyrolactone and fructose by A. eutrophus were shown to have random sequence distribution of 3HB and 4HB units by analysis of the 125 MHz 13C n.m.r. spectra. In contrast, a mixture of random copolyesters with two different 4HB fractions was produced by A. eutrophus when gamma-butyrolactone and butyric acid were used as the carbon sources. These results are discussed on the basis of a proposed biosynthetic pathway of P(3HB-co-4HB). The copolyester films became soft with an increase in the 4HB fraction, and the elongation to break at 23 degrees C increased from 5 to 444% as the 4HB fraction increased from 0 to 16 mol%. The P(3HB-co-10% 4HB) film was shown to be biodegradable in an activated sludge.