Batch culture characterization and metabolic flux analysis of succinate-producing Escherichia coli strains

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the anaerobic metabolic fluxes of various mutant strains of Escherichia coli overexpressing the Lactococcus lactis pyruvate carboxylase (PYC) for the production of succinate. Previously, a metabolic network design that includes an active glyoxylate pathway implemented in vivo increased succinate yield from glucose in an E. coli mutant to 1.6 mol/mol under fully anaerobic conditions. The design consists of a dual succinate synthesis route, which diverts required quantities of NADH through the traditional fermentative pathway and maximizes the carbon converted to succinate by balancing the carbon flux through the fermentative pathway and the glyoxylate pathway (which has a lower NADH requirement). Mutant strains previously constructed during the development of high-yield succinate-producing strains were selected for further characterization to understand their metabolic response as a result of several genetic manipulations and to determine the significance of the fermentative and the glyoxylate pathways in the production of succinate. Measured fluxes obtained under batch cultivation conditions were used to estimate intracellular fluxes and identify critical branch point flux split ratios. The comparison of changes in branch point flux split ratios to the glyoxylate pathway and the fermentative pathway at the oxaloacetate (OAA) node as a result of different mutations revealed the sensitivity of succinate yield to these manipulations. The most favorable split ratio to obtain the highest succinate yield was the fractional partition of OAA to glyoxylate of 0.32 and 0.68 to the fermentative pathway obtained in strains SBS550MG (pHL413) and SBS990MG (pHL413). The succinate yields achieved in these two strains were 1.6 and 1.7 mol/mol, respectively. In addition, an active glyoxylate pathway in an ldhA, adhE, ack-pta mutant strain is shown to be responsible for the high succinate yields achieved anaerobically. Furthermore, in vitro activity measurements of seven crucial enzymes involved in the pathways studied and intracellular measurements of key intermediate metabolite pools provided additional insights on the physiological perturbations caused by these mutations. The characterization of these recombinant mutant strains in terms of flux distribution pattern, in vitro enzyme activity and intracellular metabolite pools provides useful information for the rational modification of metabolic fluxes to improve succinate production.     

Efficient succinic acid production from glucose through overexpression of pyruvate carboxylase in an Escherichia coli alcohol dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase mutant

An adhE, ldhA double mutant Escherichia coli strain, SBS110MG, has been constructed to produce succinic acid in the presence of heterologous pyruvate carboxylase (PYC). The strategic design aims at diverting maximum quantities of NADH for succinate synthesis by inactivation of NADH competing pathways to increase succinate yield and productivity. Additionally an operational PFL enzyme allows formation of acetyl-CoA for biosynthesis and formate as a potential source of reducing equivalents. Furthermore, PYC diverts pyruvate toward OAA to favor succinate generation. SBS110MG harboring plasmid pHL413, which encodes the heterologous pyruvate carboxylase from Lactococcus lactis, produced 15.6 g/L (132 mM) of succinate from 18.7 g/L (104 mM) of glucose after 24 h of culture in an atmosphere of CO(2) yielding 1.3 mol of succinate per mole of glucose. This molar yield exceeded the maximum theoretical yield of succinate that can be achieved from glucose (1 mol/mol) under anaerobic conditions in terms of NADH balance. The current work further explores the importance of the presence of formate as a source of reducing equivalents in SBS110MG(pHL413). Inactivation of the native formate dehydrogenase pathway (FDH) in this strain significantly reduced succinate yield, suggesting that reducing power was lost in the form of formate. Additionally we investigated the effect of ptsG inactivation in SBS110MG(pHL413) to evaluate the possibility of a further increase in succinate yield. Elimination of the ptsG system increased the succinate yield to 1.4 mol/mol at the expense of a reduction in glucose consumption of 33%. In the presence of PYC and an efficient conversion of glucose to products, the ptsG mutation is not indispensable since PEP converted to pyruvate as a result of glucose phosphorylation by the glucose specific PTS permease EIICB(glu) can be rediverted toward OAA favoring succinate production.     

Combining metabolic engineering and metabolic evolution to develop nonrecombinant strains of Escherichia coli C that produce succinate and malate

Derivatives of Escherichia coli C were engineered to produce primarily succinate or malate in mineral salts media using simple fermentations (anaerobic stirred batch with pH control) without the addition of plasmids or foreign genes. This was done by a combination of gene deletions (genetic engineering) and metabolic evolution with over 2,000 generations of growth-based selection. After deletion of the central anaerobic fermentation genes (ldhA, adhE, ackA), the pathway for malate and succinate production remained as the primary route for the regeneration of NAD+. Under anaerobic conditions, ATP production for growth was obligately coupled to malate dehydrogenase and fumarate reductase by the requirement for NADH oxidation. Selecting strains for improved growth co-selected increased production of these dicarboxylic acids. Additional deletions were introduced as further improvements (focA, pflB, poxB, mgsA). The best succinate biocatalysts, strains KJ060(ldhA, adhE, ackA, focA, pflB) and KJ073(ldhA, adhE, ackA, focA, pflB, mgsA, poxB), produce 622-733 mM of succinate with molar yields of 1.2-1.6 per mole of metabolized glucose. The best malate biocatalyst, strain KJ071(ldhA, adhE, ackA, focA, pflB, mgsA), produced 516 mM malate with molar yields of 1.4 per mole of glucose metabolized.     

Improvement of the redox balance increases L-valine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxygen deprivation conditions

Production of L-valine under oxygen deprivation conditions by Corynebacterium glutamicum lacking the lactate dehydrogenase gene ldhA and overexpressing the L-valine biosynthesis genes ilvBNCDE was repressed. This was attributed to imbalanced cofactor production and consumption in the overall L-valine synthesis pathway: two moles of NADH was generated and two moles of NADPH was consumed per mole of L-valine produced from one mole of glucose. In order to solve this cofactor imbalance, the coenzyme requirement for L-valine synthesis was converted from NADPH to NADH via modification of acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase encoded by ilvC and introduction of Lysinibacillus sphaericus leucine dehydrogenase in place of endogenous transaminase B, encoded by ilvE. The intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio significantly decreased, and glucose consumption and L-valine production drastically improved. Moreover, L-valine yield increased and succinate formation decreased concomitantly with the decreased intracellular redox state. These observations suggest that the intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratio, i.e., reoxidation of NADH, is the primary rate-limiting factor for L-valine production under oxygen deprivation conditions. The L-valine productivity and yield were even better and by-products derived from pyruvate further decreased as a result of a feedback resistance-inducing mutation in the acetohydroxy acid synthase encoded by ilvBN. The resultant strain produced 1,470 mM L-valine after 24 h with a yield of 0.63 mol mol of glucose(-1), and the L-valine productivity reached 1,940 mM after 48 h.     

Engineering a homobutanol fermentation pathway in Escherichia coli EG03

A homobutanol fermentation pathway was engineered in a derivative of Escherichia coli B (glucose [glycolysis] => 2 pyruvate + 2 NADH; pyruvate [pyruvate dehydrogenase] => acetyl-CoA + NADH; 2 acetyl-CoA [butanol pathway enzymes] + 4 NADH => butanol; summary stoichiometry: glucose => butanol). Initially, the native fermentation pathways were eliminated from E. coli B by deleting the genes encoding for lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA), acetate kinase (ackA), fumarate reductase (frdABCD), pyruvate formate lyase (pflB), and alcohol dehydrogenase (adhE), and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (aceEF-lpd) was anaerobically expressed through promoter replacement. The resulting strain, E. coli EG03 (ΔfrdABCD ΔldhA ΔackA ΔpflB Δ adhE ΔpdhR ::pflBp6-aceEF-lpd ΔmgsA), could generate 4 NADH for every glucose oxidized to two acetyl-CoA through glycolysis and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. However, EG03 lost its ability for anaerobic growth due to the lack of NADH oxidation pathways. When the butanol pathway genes that encode for acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase (thiL), 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (hbd), crotonase (crt), butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (bcd, etfA, etfB), and butyraldehyde dehydrogenase (adheII) were cloned from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, and expressed in E. coli EG03, a balanced NADH oxidation pathway was established for homobutanol fermentation (glucose => 4 NADH + 2 acetyl-CoA => butanol). This strain was able to convert glucose to butanol (1,254 mg l(-1)) under anaerobic condition.     

Effect of carbon sources differing in oxidation state and transport route on succinate production in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

In mixed-acid fermentation, succinate synthesis requires one mole of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), one mole of CO₂, and two moles of NADH for every mole of succinate to be formed. Different carbon sources with different properties were used to address these requirements. Sorbitol generates one more mole of NADH than glucose. Fermentation of sorbitol was shown in this study (and by others) to produce significantly more succinate than fermentation of glucose, due to increased NADH availability. Xylose fermentation conserves the intracellular PEP pool, since its transport does not require the phosphotransferase system normally used for glucose transport. The extra PEP can then be assimilated in the succinate pathway to improve production. In this study, fermentation of xylose did yield higher succinate production than glucose fermentation. Subsequent inactivation of the acetate and lactate pathways was performed to study metabolite redistribution and the effect on succinate production. With the acetate pathway inactivated, significant carbon flux shifted toward lactate rather than succinate. When both acetate and lactate pathways were inactivated, succinate yield ultimately increased with a concomitant increase in ethanol yield.     

Culture conditions' impact on succinate production by a high succinate producing Escherichia coli strain

This work aimed to identify the key operational factors that significantly affect succinate production by the high succinate producing Escherichia coli strain SBS550MG (pHL413), which bears mutations inactivating genes adhE ldhA iclR ackpta::Cm(R) and overexpresses the pyruvate carboxylase from Lactococcus lactis. The considered factors included glucose concentration, cell density, CO(2) concentration in the gas stream, pH, and temperature. The results showed that high glucose concentrations inhibited succinate production and that there is a compromise between the total succinate productivity and succinate specific productivity, where the total productivity increased with the increase in cell density and the specific productivity decreased with cell density, probably due to mass transfer limitation. On the other hand, a CO(2) concentration of 100% in the gas stream showed the highest specific succinate productivity, probably by favoring pyruvate carboxylation, increasing the OAA pool that later is converted into succinate. A full factorial design of experiments was applied to analyze the pH and temperature effects on succinate production in batch bioreactors, where succinate yield was not significantly affected by either temperature (37 to 43°C) or pH (6.5 to 7.5). Additionally, the temperature effect on succinate productivity and titer was not significant, in the range tested. On the other hand, a pH of 6.5 showed very low productivity, whereas pH values of 7.0 and 7.5 resulted in significantly higher specific productivities and higher titers. The increase on pH value from 7.0 to 7.5 did not show significant improvement. Then, pH 7.0 should be chosen because it involves a lower cost in base addition.     

Succinate production from different carbon sources under anaerobic conditions by metabolic engineered Escherichia coli strains

Succinic acid has drawn much interest as a precursor of many industrially important chemicals. Using a variety of feedstocks for the bio-production of succinic acid would be economically beneficial to future industrial processes. Escherichia coli SBS550MG is able to grow on both glucose and fructose, but not on sucrose. Therefore, we derived a SBS550MG strain bearing both the pHL413 plasmid, which contains Lactococcus lactis pycA gene, and the pUR400 plasmid, which contains the scrK, Y, A, B, and R genes for sucrose uptake and catalyzation. Succinic acid production by this modified strain and the SBS550pHL413 strain was tested on fructose, sucrose, a mixture of glucose and fructose, a mixture of glucose, fructose and sucrose, and sucrose hydrolysis solution. The modified strain can produce succinic acid efficiently from all combinations of different carbon sources tested with minimal byproduct formation and with high molar succinate yields close to that of the maximum theoretic values. The molar succinic acid yield from fructose was the highest among the carbon sources tested. Using the mixture of glucose and fructose as the carbon source resulted in slightly lower yields and much higher productivity than using fructose alone. Fermenting sucrose mixed with fructose and glucose gave a 1.76-fold higher productivity than that when sucrose was used as the sole carbon source. Using sucrose pretreated with sulfuric acid as carbon source resulted in a similar succinic acid yield and productivity as that when using the mixture of sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The results of the effect of agitation rate in aerobic phase on succinate production showed that supplying large amount of oxygen in aerobic phase resulted in higher productions of formate and acetate, and therefore lower succinate yield. This study suggests that fructose, sucrose, mixture of glucose and fructose, mixture of glucose, fructose and sucrose, or sucrose hydrolysis solution could be used for the economical and efficient production of succinic acid by our metabolic engineered E. coli strain.     

High yield production of four-carbon dicarboxylic acids by metabolically engineered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Several metabolic engineered Escherichia coli strains were constructed and evaluated for four-carbon dicarboxylic acid production. Fumarase A, fumarase B and fumarase C single, double and triple mutants were constructed in a ldhA adhE mutant background overexpressing the pyruvate carboxylase from Lactococcus lactis. All the mutants produced succinate as the main four-carbon (C4) dicarboxylic acid product when glucose was used as carbon source with the exception of the fumAC and the triple fumB fumAC deletion strains, where malate was the main C4-product with a yield of 0.61–0.67 mol (mole glucose)^?1. Additionally, a mdh mutant strain and a previously engineered high-succinate-producing strain (SBS550MG-Cms pHL413-Km) were investigated for aerobic malate production from succinate. These strains produced 40.38 mM (5.41 g/L) and 50.34 mM (6.75 g/L) malate with a molar yield of 0.53 and 0.55 mol (mole succinate)^?1, respectively. Finally, by exploiting the high-succinate production capability, the strain SBS550MG-Cms243 pHL413-Km showed significant malate production in a two-stage process from glucose. This strain produced 133 mM (17.83 g/L) malate in 47 h, with a high yield of 1.3 mol (mole glucose)^?1 and productivity of 0.38 g L^?1 h^?1.     

Manipulating redox and ATP balancing for improved production of succinate in E. coli

Redox and energy balance plays a key role in determining microbial fitness. Efforts to redirect bacterial metabolism often involve overexpression and deletion of genes surrounding key central metabolites, such as pyruvate and acetyl-coA. In the case of metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for succinate production, efforts have mainly focused on the manipulation of key pyruvate metabolizing enzymes. E. coli AFP111 strain lacking ldhA, pflB and ptsG encoded activities accumulates acetate and ethanol as well as shows poor anaerobic growth on rich and minimal media. To address these issues, we first deleted genes (adhE, ackA-pta) involved in byproduct formation downstream of acetyl-CoA followed by the deletion of iclR and pdhR to activate the glyoxylate pathway. Based on data from these studies, we hypothesized that the succinate productivity was limited by the insufficient ATP generation. Genome-scale thermodynamics-based flux balance analysis indicated that overexpression of ATP-forming PEPCK from Actinobacillus succinogenes in an ldhA, pflB and ptsG triple mutant strain could result in an increase in biomass and succinate flux. Testing of this prediction confirmed that PEPCK overexpression resulted in a 60% increase in biomass and succinate formation in the ldhA, pflB, ptsG mutant strain.     

Metabolic engineering of the anaerobic central metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli for the simultaneous anaerobic production of isoamyl acetate and succinic acid

An in vivo method of producing isoamyl acetate and succinate simultaneously has been developed in Escherichia coli to maximize yields of both high value compounds as well as maintain the proper redox balance between NADH and NAD⁺. Previous attempts at producing the ester isoamyl acetate anaerobically did not produce the compound in high concentrations because of competing pathways and the need for NAD⁺ regeneration. The objective of this study is to produce succinate as an example of a reduced coproduct to balance the ratio of NADH/NAD⁺ as a way of maximizing isoamyl acetate production. Because the volatility of the two compounds differs greatly, the two could be easily separated in an industrial setting. An ldhA, adhE double mutant strain (SBS110MG) served as the control strain to test the effect of an additional ackA‐pta mutation as found in SBS990MG. Both strains overexpressed the two heterologous genes pyruvate carboxylase and alcohol acetyltransferase (for ester production). The triple mutant SBS990MG was found to produce higher levels of both isoamyl acetate and succinate. At the optimal condition of 25°C, the culture produced 9.4 mM isoamyl acetate and 45.5 mM succinate. SBS990MG produced 36% more ester and over 700% more succinate than SBS110MG. In addition, this study demonstrated that a significantly higher isoamyl acetate concentration can be attained by simultaneously balancing the carbon and cofactor flow; the isoamyl acetate concentration of 9.4 mM is more than seven times higher than an earlier report of about 1.2 mM. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009     

Improved succinate production in Corynebacterium glutamicum by engineering glyoxylate pathway and succinate export system

A dual route for anaerobic succinate production was engineered into Corynebacterium glutamicum. The glyoxylate pathway was reconstructed by overexpressing isocitrate lyase, malate synthase and citrate synthase. The engineered strain produced succinate with a yield of 1.34 mol (mol glucose)^?1. Further overexpression of succinate exporter, SucE, increased succinate yield to 1.43 mol (mol glucose)^?1. Metabolic flux analysis revealed that the glyoxylate pathway was further activated by engineering succinate export system. Using an anaerobic fed-batch fermentation process, the final strain produced 926 mM succinate (= 109 g l^?1) with an overall volumetric productivity of 9.4 mM h^?1 and an average yield of 1.32 mol (mol glucose)^?1.     

Eliminating side products and increasing succinate yields in engineered strains of Escherichia coli C

Derivatives of Escherichia coli C were previously described for succinate production by combining the deletion of genes that disrupt fermentation pathways for alternative products (ldhA::FRT, adhE::FRT, ackA::FRT, focA-pflB::FRT, mgsA, poxB) with growth-based selection for increased ATP production. The resulting strain, KJ073, produced 1.2 mol of succinate per mol glucose in mineral salts medium with acetate, malate, and pyruvate as significant co-products. KJ073 has been further improved by removing residual recombinase sites (FRT sites) from the chromosomal regions of gene deletion to create a strain devoid of foreign DNA, strain KJ091(DeltaldhA DeltaadhE DeltaackA DeltafocA-pflB DeltamgsA DeltapoxB). KJ091 was further engineered for improvements in succinate production. Deletion of the threonine decarboxylase (tdcD; acetate kinase homologue) and 2-ketobutyrate formate-lyase (tdcE; pyruvate formate-lyase homologue) reduced the acetate level by 50% and increased succinate yield (1.3 mol mol(-1) glucose) by almost 10% as compared to KJ091 and KJ073. Deletion of two genes involved in oxaloacetate metabolism, aspartate aminotransferase (aspC) and the NAD(+)-linked malic enzyme (sfcA) (KJ122) significantly increased succinate yield (1.5 mol mol(-1) glucose), succinate titer (700 mM), and average volumetric productivity (0.9 g L(-1) h(-1)). Residual pyruvate and acetate were substantially reduced by further deletion of pta encoding phosphotransacetylase to produce KJ134 (DeltaldhA DeltaadhE DeltafocA-pflB DeltamgsA DeltapoxB DeltatdcDE DeltacitF DeltaaspC DeltasfcA Deltapta-ackA). Strains KJ122 and KJ134 produced near theoretical yields of succinate during simple, anaerobic, batch fermentations using mineral salts medium. Both may be useful as biocatalysts for the commercial production of succinate.     

Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for fuel ethanol production under oxygen-deprivation conditions

The central metabolic pathway of Corynebacterium glutamicum was engineered to produce ethanol. A recombinant strain which expressed the Zymomonas mobilis genes coding for pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc) and alcohol dehydrogenase (adhB) was constructed. Both genes placed under the control of the C. glutamicum ldhA promoter were expressed at high levels in C. glutamicum, resulting, under oxygen-deprivation conditions, in a significant yield ofethanol from glucose in a process characterized by the absence of cellular growth. Addition of pyruvate in trace amounts to the reaction mixture induced a 2-fold increase in the ethanol production rate. A similar effect was observed when acetaldehyde was added. Disruption of the lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA) gene led to a 3-fold higher ethanol yield than wild type, with no lactate production. Moreover, inactivation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (ppc) and ldhA genes revealed a significant amount of ethanol production and a dramatic decrease in succinate without any lactate production, when pyruvate was added. Since the reaction occurred in the absence of cell growth, the ethanol volumetric productivity increased in proportion to cell density of ethanologenic C. glutamicum in a process under oxygen-deprivation conditions. These observations corroborate the view that intracellular NADH concentrations in C. glutamicum are correlated to oxygen-deprived metabolic flows.     

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。     

Role of NAD in regulating the adhE gene of Escherichia coli.

The fermentative alcohol dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli is encoded by the adhE gene, which is induced under anaerobic conditions but repressed in air. Previous work suggested that induction of adhE might depend on NADH levels. We therefore directly measured the NAD+ and NADH levels for cultures growing aerobically and anaerobically on a series of carbon sources whose metabolism generates different relative amounts of NADH. Expression of adhE was monitored both by assay of alcohol dehydrogenase activity and by expression of phi(adhE'-lacZ) gene fusions. The expression of the adhE gene correlated with the ratio of NADH to NAD+. The role of NADH in eliciting adhE induction was supported by a variety of treatments known to change the ratio of NADH to NAD+ or alter the total NAD+-plus-NADH pool. Blocking the electron transport chain, either by mutation or by chemical inhibitors, resulted in the artificial induction of the adhE gene under aerobic conditions. Conversely, limiting NAD synthesis, by introducing mutational blocks into the biosynthetic pathway for nicotinic acid, decreased the expression of adhE under anaerobic conditions. This, in turn, was reversed by supplementation with exogenous NAD or nicotinic acid. In merodiploid strains carrying deletion or insertion mutations abolishing the synthesis of AdhE protein, an adhE-lacZ fusion was expressed at nearly 10-fold the level observed in an adhE+ background. Introduction of mutant adhE alleles producing high levels of inactive AdhE protein gave results equivalent to those seen in absence of the AdhE protein. This finding implies that it is the buildup of NADH due to lack of enzyme activity, rather than the absence of the AdhE protein per se, which causes increased induction of the phi(adhE'-lacZ) fusion. Moreover, mutations giving elevated levels of active AdhE protein decreased the induction of the phi(adhE'-lacZ) fusion. This finding suggests that the enzymatic activity of the AdhE protein modulates the level of NADH under anaerobic conditions, thus indirectly regulating its own expression.     

乳糖诱导丙酮酸羧化酶基因在大肠杆菌中的表达及对丁二酸产量的影响

大肠杆菌DC1515是敲除葡萄糖磷酸转移酶(ptsG)、乳酸脱氢酶(ldhA)、丙酮酸甲酸裂解酶(pflA)基因的菌株,具有发酵生产丁二酸的潜力。为进一步提高菌株DC1515的丁二酸生产能力,将枯草芽孢杆菌丙酮酸羧化酶(pyc)基因转入其中。用乳糖代替IPTG诱导pyc表达,确定了最佳乳糖加入时间、乳糖浓度及诱导温度。在此基础上,考察了补加乳糖对丁二酸产量的影响。结果表明:由于ptsG基因缺失,当培养基中葡萄糖浓度达到15g/L时,乳糖诱导作用并不受葡萄糖抑制。优化诱导条件后,pyc过表达菌株的丁二酸产量达15.17g/L,为对照菌株的1.78倍。间歇补加乳糖2次至浓度为1g/L,丁二酸产量可进一步增至17.54g/L。研究结果为以葡萄糖为底物生产丁二酸的过程中乳糖诱导外源基因在大肠杆菌中的表达奠定了基础。乳糖诱导降低了成本,有利于实现丁二酸发酵生产的工业化。     

Heterologous pyc gene expression under various natural and engineered promoters in Escherichia coli for improved succinate production

In this study, the expression level of the pyc gene from Lactococcus lactis was fine tuned to improve succinate production in Escherichia coli SBS550MG. IPTG induction in the cultures of SBS550MG with pHL413, a positive control plasmid previously constructed (Sanchez et al., 2005), gave drastically decreased PYC activity and succinate yield. We constructed several plasmids for the expression of pyc to change copy number and variant promoters. Among the constructs, as compared to pHL413, the PYC activity dropped significantly with the Plac, Ptac, Ptrc or native Ppyc promoters in medium or high copy vectors, which resulted in a decrease in succinate yield. Three constructs pThio12, pHL413-Km, and pHL413-Km(lacIq-)N showed considerable PYC activity and improved succinate production in E. coli SBS550MG. The native Ppyc promoter was also modified in order to vary pyc expression levels by site-directed mutagenesis of the −10, −35, −44 regions, and the spacer regions between −10 to −35 and −35 to −44 regions. Out of 9 native promoter variants, the MIII variant resulted in a 20% increase in PYC activity, and improved succinate yield in SBS550MG. We also determined the copy number and stability of pHL413 and pHL413-Km. The two plasmids showed roughly the same copy number, but the pHL413-Km plasmid was relatively more stable. This study provides more understanding of the plasmid characteristics and fine tuning of the expression level of pyc for optimization of the succinate production processes.