A new model for the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol in enteric bacteria: trunk and auxiliary pathways in Escherichia coli

Anaerobic fermentation of glycerol in the Enterobacteriaceae family has long been considered a unique property of species that synthesize 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO). However, we have discovered that Escherichia coli can ferment glycerol in a 1,3-PDO-independent manner. We identified 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) as a fermentation product and established the pathway that mediates its synthesis as well as its role in the metabolism of glycerol. We also showed that the trunk pathway responsible for the conversion of glycerol into glycolytic intermediates is composed of two enzymes: a type II glycerol dehydrogenase (glyDH-II) and a dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK), the former of previously unknown physiological role. Based on our findings, we propose a new model for glycerol fermentation in enteric bacteria in which: (i) the production of 1,2-PDO provides a means to consume reducing equivalents generated in the synthesis of cell mass, thus facilitating redox balance, and (ii) the conversion of glycerol to ethanol, through a redox-balanced pathway, fulfills energy requirements by generating ATP via substrate-level phosphorylation. The activity of the formate hydrogen-lyase and F(0)F(1)-ATPase systems were also found to facilitate the fermentative metabolism of glycerol, and along with the ethanol and 1,2-PDO pathways, were considered auxiliary or enabling. We demonstrated that glycerol fermentation in E. coli was not previously observed due to the use of medium formulations and culture conditions that impair the aforementioned pathways. These include high concentrations of potassium and phosphate, low concentrations of glycerol, alkaline pH, and closed cultivation systems that promote the accumulation of hydrogen gas.     

Enhanced production of (R)-1,2-propanediol by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

1,2-Propanediol (1,2-PD) is a major commodity chemical currently derived from propylene. Previously, we have demonstrated the production of enantiomerically pure (R)-1,2-propanediol from glucose by an engineered E. coli expressing genes for NADH-linked glycerol dehydrogenase and methylglyoxal synthase. In this work, we investigate three methods to improve 1,2-PD in E. coli. First, we investigated improving the host by eliminating production of a byproduct, lactate. To do this, we constructed strains with mutations in two enzymes involved in lactate production, lactate dehydrogenase and glyoxalase I. (Surprisingly, when mutations were made in its ability to produce lactate, one strain of E. coli [MM294], produced a small amount of 1,2-PD without any added genes.) Second, we constructed a complete pathway to 1,2-PD from the glycolytic intermediate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Our previous 1, 2-PD producing strains relied on at least one endogenous E. coli activity and only produced 0.7 g/L of 1,2-PD. The complete pathway involved the coexpression of methylglyoxal synthase (mgs), glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA), and either yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (adhI) or E. coli 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase (fucO). Third, we investigated bioprocessing improvements by carrying out a fed-batch fermentation with the best engineered strain (expressing mgs, gldA, and fucO). A final titer of 4.5 g/L of (R)-1,2-PD was produced, with a final yield of 0.19 g of 1,2-PD per gram of glucose consumed. This work provides a basis for further strain and process improvement.     

Quantitative analysis of the fermentative metabolism of glycerol in Escherichia coli

Availability, low price, and high degree of reduction have made glycerol a highly attractive and exploited carbon source for the production of fuels and reduced chemicals. Here we report the quantitative analysis of the fermentative metabolism of glycerol in Escherichia coli through the use of kinetic modeling and metabolic control analysis (MCA) to gain a better understanding of glycerol fermentation and identify key targets for genetic manipulation that could enhance product synthesis. The kinetics of glycerol fermentation in a batch culture was simulated using a dynamic model consisting of mass balances for glycerol, ethanol, biomass, and 11 intracellular metabolites, along with the corresponding kinetic expressions for the metabolism of each species. The model was then used to calculate metabolic control coefficients and elucidate the control structure of the pathways involved in glycerol utilization and ethanol synthesis. The calculated flux control coefficients indicate that the glycolytic flux during glycerol fermentation is almost exclusively controlled by the enzymes glycerol dehydrogenase (encoded by gldA) and dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK) (encoded by dhaKLM). In agreement with the MCA findings, overexpression of gldA and dhaKLM led to significant increase in glycerol utilization and ethanol synthesis fluxes. Moreover, overexpression of other enzymes involved in the pathways that mediate glycerol utilization and its conversion to ethanol had no significant impact on glycerol utilization and ethanol synthesis, further validating the MCA predictions. These findings were then applied as a means of increasing the production of ethanol: overexpression of glycerol dehyrdogenase and DHAK enabled the production of 20 g/L ethanol from crude glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, indicating the potential for industrial scale conversion of waste glycerol to ethanol under anaerobic conditions.     

Role of GldA in dihydroxyacetone and methylglyoxal metabolism of Escherichia coli K12

The metabolic pathway involving dihydroxyacetone is poorly characterized although novel enzymes associated with this metabolite have recently been demonstrated. The role of GldA in dihydroxyacetone and methylglyoxal metabolism was investigated by purifying the enzyme and characterizing its catalytic ability using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. At neutral pH, the enzyme exhibits much higher affinities towards dihydroxyacetone, methylglyoxal, and glycolaldehyde than glycerol with K(m) values of 0.30, 0.50, 0.85, and 56 mM, respectively. This is consistent with NMR data with crude extracts, showing that the conversion from dihydroxyacetone to glycerol by GldA is far more efficient than the reverse reaction. Dihydroxyacetone was found to be lethal at higher concentration with an LC(50) value of 28 mM compared with 0.4 mM of methylglyoxal, while lactaldehyde was found to exhibit significant growth inhibition in Escherichia coli cells. The toxicity of dihydroxyacetone appears to be due to its intracellular conversion to an aldehyde compound, presumably methylglyoxal, since the glyoxalase mutant becomes sensitive to dihydroxyacetone. Based on information that gldA is preceded in an operon by the ptsA homolog and talC gene encoding fructose 6-phosphate aldolase, this study proposes that the primary role of gldA is to remove toxic dihydroxyacetone by converting it into glycerol.     

Hydrogen peroxide mediates the oxidative inactivation of enzymes following the switch from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella pneumoniae utilizes distinct pathways for the anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of glycerol. During anaerobic growth, glycerol is first converted to dihydroxyacetone by glycerol dehydrogenase; subsequent phosphorylation yields dihydroxyacetone phosphate. During aerobic growth, glycerol is initially phosphorylated to yield glycerol 3-phosphate; subsequent reduction then gives dihydroxyacetone phosphate. A coordinated response occurs when anaerobically growing cells are switched to aerobic conditions. Synthesis of glycerol dehydrogenase is repressed, glycerol dehydrogenase is inactivated, and the protein is degraded. Ethanol dehydrogenase and propanediol oxidoreductase are also inactivated when cells are exposed to oxygen (Johnson, E. A., Levine, R. L., and Lin, E. C. C. (1985) J. Bacteriol. 164, 479-483). Exposure of anaerobically growing cells to low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide also inactivated these three enzymes and led to rapid degradation of glycerol dehydrogenase. Glycerol dehydrogenase was purified and characterized after in vivo oxidative modification initiated by hydrogen peroxide. No differences in molecular weight, amino acid composition, or Km were detected between the native and oxidatively modified forms, although the modified enzyme had only 10% of the catalytic activity of the native form. The oxidatively modified enzyme was very susceptible to degradation by subtilisin while the native enzyme was resistant. Chloramphenicol prevented the inactivation and degradation of glycerol dehydrogenase caused by exposure to oxygen but did not block that caused by hydrogen peroxide. Thus, protein synthesis appears necessary for in vivo oxidative modification caused by exposure to oxygen but is not necessary when the process is initiated by exposure to hydrogen peroxide. The newly synthesized protein(s) presumably catalyzes the production of hydrogen peroxide which is required for the metal-catalyzed oxidative modification of susceptible enzymes.     

Mapping and cloning of gldA, the structural gene of the Escherichia coli glycerol dehydrogenase.

gldA, the structural gene for the NAD(+)-dependent glycerol dehydrogenase, was mapped at 89.2 min on the Escherichia coli linkage map, cotransducible with, but not adjacent to, the glpFKX operon encoding the proteins for the uptake and phosphorylation of glycerol. gldA was cloned, and its position on the physical map of E. coli was determined. The expression of gldA was induced by hydroxyacetone under stationary-phase growth conditions.     

Escherichia coli arcA mutants: metabolic profile characterization of microaerobic cultures using glycerol as a carbon source

ArcA is a global regulator that switches on the expression of fermentation genes and represses the aerobic pathways when Escherichia coli enters low oxygen growth conditions. The metabolic profile of E. coli CT1062 (DeltaarcA)and CT1061 (arcA2) grown in microaerobiosis with glycerol as carbon source were determined and compared with E. coli K1060, the arcA+ parent strain. Both arcA mutants achieved higher biomass yields than the wild-type strain. The production of acetate, formate, lactate, pyruvate, succinate and ethanol were determined in the supernatants of cultures grown on glycerol under microaerobic conditions for 48 h. The yield of extracellular metabolites on glycerol showed lower acid and higher ethanol values for the mutants. The ethanol/acetate ratio was 0.87 for the parent strain, 2.01 for CT1062, and 12.51 for CT1061. Accordingly, the NADH/NAD+ ratios were 0.18, 0.63, and 0.97, respectively. The extracellular succinate yield followed a different pattern, with yield values of 0.164 for K1060, 0.442 for CT1062 and 0.214 for CT1061. The dissimilarities observed can be attributed to the different effects exerted by the deletion and point mutations in a global regulator.     

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.     

Metabolic engineering of a 1,2-propanediol pathway in Escherichia coli

1,2-Propanediol (1,2-PD) is a major commodity chemical that is currently derived from propylene, a nonrenewable resource. A goal of our research is to develop fermentation routes to 1,2-PD from renewable resources. Here we report the production of enantiomerically pure R-1,2-PD from glucose in Escherichia coli expressing NADH-linked glycerol dehydrogenase genes (E. coli gldA or Klebsiella pneumoniae dhaD). We also show that E. coli overexpressing the E. coli methylglyoxal synthase gene (mgs) produced 1,2-PD. The expression of either glycerol dehydrogenase or methylglyoxal synthase resulted in the anaerobic production of approximately 0.25 g of 1,2-PD per liter. R-1,2-PD production was further improved to 0.7 g of 1,2-PD per liter when methylglyoxal synthase and glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA) were coexpressed. In vitro studies indicated that the route to R-1,2-PD involved the reduction of methylglyoxal to R-lactaldehyde by the recombinant glycerol dehydrogenase and the reduction of R-lactaldehyde to R-1, 2-PD by a native E. coli activity. We expect that R-1,2-PD production can be significantly improved through further metabolic and bioprocess engineering.     

大肠杆菌甘油激酶基因(glpK)和甘油脱氢酶基因(gldA)的敲除及其对甘油产量的影响

利用Red重组系统构建了大肠杆菌JM109甘油激酶基因(glpK)和甘油脱氢酶基因(gldA)缺失的双突变菌株JM109B,然后将表达酿酒酵母3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶基因(GPD1)和3-磷酸甘油酯酶基因(HOR2)的质粒pSE-gpd1-hor2转化到JM109B突变菌株中,在含1%葡萄糖的摇瓶发酵培养基中37℃发酵24 h,甘油的最高产量为5.61 g/L,是原始菌株JM109/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.59倍;在30 L发酵罐中发酵28 h,甘油的最高产量为103.12 g/L,是原始菌株JM109/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.59倍,是原始菌株BL21/pSE-gpd1-hor2甘油产量的1.41倍,葡萄糖转化率为50.39%。     

Glycerol and dihydroxyacetone dissimilation in Desulfovibrio strains

During growth on glycerol two marine Desulfovibrio strains that can grow on an unusually broad range of substrates contained high activities of glycerol kinase, NAD(P)-independent glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and the other enzymes necessary for the conversion of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to pyruvate. Glycerol dehydrogenase and a specific dihydroxyacetone kinase were absent. During growth on dihydroxyacetone, glycerol kinase is involved in the initial conversion of this compound to dihydroxyacetone phosphate which is then further metabolized. Some kinetic properties of the partially purified glycerol kinase were determined. The role of NAD as electron carrier in the energy metabolism during growth of these strains on glycerol and dihydroxyacetone is discussed.Glycerol also supported growth of three out of four classical Desulfovibrio strains tested. D. vulgaris strain Hildenborough grew slowly on glycerol and contained glycerol kinase, glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and enzymes for the dissimilation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate. In D. gigas which did not grow on glycerol the enzymes glycerol kinase and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase were absent in lactate-grown cells.Abbreviations DHA dihydroxyacetone - DHAP dihydroxyacetone phosphate - G3P glycerol 3-phosphate - GAP glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate - 3-PGA 3-phosphoglycerate - 2-PGA 2-phosphoglycerate - 2,3-DPGA 2,3-diphosphoglycerate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - DH dehydrogenase - GK glycerol kinase - DHAK dihydroxyacetone kinase - TIM triosephosphate isomerase - PGK 3-phosphoglycerate kinase - PK pyruvate kinase - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - DTT dithiotreitol - HEPES 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazine ethane sulfonic acid - PIPES piperazine-1,1-bis(2-ethane sulfonic acid) - BV²⁺/BV⁺ oxidized/reduced benzylviologen - PMS phenazine methosulfate - DCPIP 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol - MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,4-diphenyltetrazolium bromide     

Characterization of methylglyoxal synthase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 and its use in the formation of 1, 2-propanediol.

A gene encoding a putative 150-amino-acid methylglyoxal synthase was identified in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. The enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Methylglyoxal synthase has a native molecular mass of 60 kDa and an optimum pH of 7.5. The Km and Vmax values for the substrate dihydroxyacetone phosphate were 0.53 mM and 1.56 mmol min(-1) microgram(-1), respectively. When E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase was coexpressed with methylglyoxal synthase in E. coli BL21(DE3), 3.9 mM 1,2-propanediol was produced.     

共表达甘油脱氢酶和二羟丙酮激酶对大肠杆菌生长及甘油代谢的影响

考察共表达甘油脱氢酶(GldA)和二羟丙酮激酶(DhaKLM)对大肠杆菌生长及甘油代谢的影响。结果表明:在好氧条件下,共表达甘油脱氢酶及二羟丙酮激酶可以提高大肠杆菌利用甘油合成菌体的效率,利用等量的甘油,重组菌最高菌密度比对照菌提高了70%,细胞干质量为3.54 g(以每升发酵液计)。在厌氧条件下,仅共表达甘油脱氢酶并不能促进大肠杆菌的甘油代谢,而同时共表达甘油脱氢酶和二羟丙酮激酶可以明显提高大肠杆菌代谢甘油的能力,每克菌体消耗的甘油量提高了42%,每克干细胞中达11.08 g,代谢产物组成也发生显著变化,乙酸成为主要产物。这说明共表达gldA及dhaKLM基因能有效促进大肠杆菌好氧利用甘油生长及厌氧甘油代谢的能力。     

Anaerobic fermentation of glycerol by Escherichia coli: a new platform for metabolic engineering

The worldwide surplus of glycerol generated as inevitable byproduct of biodiesel fuel and oleochemical production is resulting in the shutdown of traditional glycerol-producing/refining plants and new applications are needed for this now abundant carbon source. In this article we report our finding that Escherichia coli can ferment glycerol in a pH-dependent manner. We hypothesize that glycerol fermentation is linked to the availability of CO(2), which under acidic conditions is produced by the oxidation of formate by the enzyme formate hydrogen lyase (FHL). In agreement with this hypothesis, glycerol fermentation was severely impaired by blocking the activity of FHL. We demonstrated that, unlike CO(2), hydrogen (the other product of FHL-mediated formate oxidation) had a negative impact on cell growth and glycerol fermentation. In addition, supplementation of the medium with CO(2) partially restored the ability of an FHL-deficient strain to ferment glycerol. High pH resulted in low CO(2) generation (low activity of FHL) and availability (most CO(2) is converted to bicarbonate), and consequently very inefficient fermentation of glycerol. Most of the fermented glycerol was recovered in the reduced compounds ethanol and succinate (93% of the product mixture), which reflects the highly reduced state of glycerol and confirms the fermentative nature of this process. Since glycerol is a cheap, abundant, and highly reduced carbon source, our findings should enable the development of an E. coli-based platform for the anaerobic production of reduced chemicals from glycerol at yields higher than those obtained from common sugars, such as glucose.     

Production of 1,2-propanediol from glycerol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Glycerol has become an attractive carbon source in the biotechnology industry owing to its low price and reduced state. However, glycerol is rarely used as a carbon source in Saccharomyces cerevisiae because of its low utilization rate. In this study, we used glycerol as a main carbon source in S. cerevisiae to produce 1,2-propanediol. Metabolically engineered S. cerevisiae strains with overexpression of glycerol dissimilation pathway genes, including glycerol kinase (GUT1), glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GUT2), glycerol dehydrogenase (gdh), and a glycerol transporter gene (GUP1), showed increased glycerol utilization and growth rate. More significant improvement of glycerol utilization and growth rate was accomplished by introducing 1,2-propanediol pathway genes, mgs (methylglyoxal synthase) and gldA (glycerol dehydrogenase) from Escherichia coli. By engineering both glycerol dissimilation and 1,2-propanediol pathways, the glycerol utilization and growth rate were improved 141% and 77%, respectively, and a 2.19 g 1,2- propanediol/l titer was achieved in 1% (v/v) glycerolcontaining YEPD medium in engineered S. cerevisiae.     

The relative utilization of the acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glycerol phosphate pathways for synthesis of glycerolipids in various tumors and normal tissues.

Rates of phosphatidate synthesis from dihydroxyacetone phosphate via acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate or glycerol phosphate are compared in homogenates of 13 tissues, most of which are deficient in glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8). In all tissues examined, dihydroxyacetone phosphate entered phosphatidate more rapidly via acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate than via glycerol phosphate. Tissues with a relatively low rate of phosphatidate synthesis via glycerol phosphate, showed no compensating increase in the rate of synthesis via acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The rates at which tissue homogenates synthesize phosphatidate from dihydroxyacetone phosphate via glycerol phosphate increase as glycerol phosphate dehydrongenase increase. Both glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase and glycerol phosphate: acyl CoA acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.15) are more active than dihydroxyacetone phosphate : acyl CoA acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.42). Thus, all the tissue homogenates possessed an apparently greater capability to synthesize phosphatidate via glycerol phosphate than via acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate, but did not express this potential. This result is discussed in relation to in vivo substrate limitations.     

The tritium isotope effect of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate oxidase and the effects of clofenapate and N-(2-benzoyloxyethyl)norfenfluramine on the esterification of glycerol phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate by rat liver mitochondria

1. Owing to a (3)H isotope effect, the mitochondrial sn-glycerol 3-phosphate oxidase (EC 1.1.99.5) had a mean activity which was 8.4 times less with sn-[2-(3)H]-rather than with sn-[1-(14)C]glycerol 3-phosphate as a substrate. 2. A method for measuring the simultaneous synthesis of lipid from glycerol phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate in rat liver mitochondria is described. 3. The lipid synthesized by rat liver mitochondria from sn-[1-(14)C]glycerol 3-phosphate was mainly phosphatidate and lysophosphatidate, whereas that synthesized from dihydroxy[1-(14)C]acetone phosphate was mainly acyldihydroxyacetone phosphate. 4. Additions of NADPH facilitated the conversion of acyldihydroxyacetone phosphate into lysophosphatidate and phosphatidate. 5. Hydrazine (1.4mm) or KCN (1.4mm) inhibited the synthesis of lipids from dihydroxyacetone phosphate but not from glycerol phosphate. 6. Clofenapate (1-2.5mm) inhibited the synthesis of lipids from dihydroxyacetone phosphate but slightly stimulated synthesis from glycerol phosphate. 7. The methanesulphonate of N-(2-benzoyloxyethyl)norfenfluramine, at 0.25-0.75mm, inhibited lipid synthesis from both glycerol phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate.     

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the production of 1,2-propanediol from glycerol

Due to its availability, low‐price, and high degree of reduction, glycerol has become an attractive carbon source for the production of fuels and reduced chemicals. Using the platform we have established from the identification of key pathways mediating fermentative metabolism of glycerol, this work reports the engineering of Escherichia coli for the conversion of glycerol into 1,2‐propanediol (1,2‐PDO). A functional 1,2‐PDO pathway was engineered through a combination of overexpression of genes involved in its synthesis from the key intermediate dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and the manipulation of the fermentative glycerol utilization pathway. The former included the overexpression of methylglyoxal synthase (mgsA), glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA), and aldehyde oxidoreductase (yqhD). Manipulation of the glycerol utilization pathway through the replacement of the native E. coli PEP‐dependent dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK) with an ATP‐dependent DHAK from C. freundii increased the availability of DHAP allowing for higher 1,2‐PDO production. Analysis of the major fermentative pathways indentified ethanol as a required co‐product while increases in 1,2‐PDO titer and yield were achieved through the disruption of the pathways for acetate and lactate production. Combination of these key metabolic manipulations resulted in an engineered E. coli strain capable of producing 5.6 g/L 1,2‐PDO, at a yield of 21.3% (w/w). This strain also performed well when crude glycerol, a by‐product of biodiesel production, was used as the substrate. The titer and yield achieved in this study were favorable to those obtained with the use of E. coli for the production of 1,2‐PDO from common sugars. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:867–879. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Biotechnological conversion of glycerol to 2-amino-1,3-propanediol (serinol) in recombinant Escherichia coli

Microbial conversion is an important technology for the refinement of renewable resources. Here, we describe the biotechnological conversion of glycerol to 2-amino-1,3-propanediol (serinol), a relevant intermediate in several chemical syntheses processes. Either the dihydroxyacetone phosphate aminotransferase/dihydrorhizobitoxine synthase (RtxA) of Bradyrhizobium elkanii USD94 or only the N-terminal domain (RtxA513) comprising the first reaction, respectively, was expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli. Serinol contents of up to 3.3 g/l were achieved in batch cultures. We could further clarify that glutamic acid is the preferred cosubstrate for the transamination of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to serinolphosphate, which is the essential step in serinol synthesis. An in vivo detoxification of serinol employing wax ester synthase/acyl-CoA:diacyl-glycerol acyl transferase from Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 was not accomplished. This study paves the way for biotechnological production of serinol from glycerol derived from the biodiesel industry.