Overproduction of glycogen in Escherichia coli blocked in the acetate pathway improves cell growth

Excessive production of acetate is a problem frequently encountered in aerobic high-cell-density fermentations of Escherichia coli. Here, we have examined genetic alterations resulting in glycogen overproduction as a possible means to direct the flux of carbon away from the acetate pool. Glycogen overaccumulation was achieved either by using a regulatory glgQ mutation or by transforming cells with a plasmid containing the glycogen biosynthesis genes glgC (encoding ADPG pyrophosphorylase) and glgA (encoding glycogen synthase) under their native promoter. Both strategies resulted in an approximately five-fold increase in glycogen levels but had no significant effect on acetate excretion. The glgC and glgA genes were then placed under the control of the isopropyl---D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) inducible tac promoter, and this construct was used to stimulate glycogen production in a mutant defective in acetate biosynthesis due to deletion of the ack (acetate kinase) and pta (phosphotransacetylase) genes. If glycogen overproduction in the ack pta strain was induced during the late log phase, biomass production increased by 15 to 20% relative to uninduced controls. Glycogen overaccumulation had a significant influence on carbon partitioning: The output of carbon dioxide peaked earlier than in the control strain, and the levels of an unusual fermentation byproduct, pyruvate, were reduced. Exogenous pyruvate was metabolized more rapidly, suggesting higher activity of gluconeogenesis or the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle as a result of glycogen overproduction. Potential mechanisms of the observed metabolic alterations are discussed. Our results suggest that ack pta mutants over producing glycogen may be a suitable starting point for constructing E. coli strains with improved characteristics in high-cell-density fermentations. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.