Mutations in Peptidoglycan Synthesis Gene ponA Improve Electrotransformation Efficiency of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13869

Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are now the key enabling technologies for manipulating microorganisms to suit the practical outcomes desired by humankind. The introduction of exogenous DNA into cells is an indispensable step for this purpose. However, some microorganisms, including the important industrial workhorseCorynebacterium glutamicum , possess a complex cell wall structure to shield cells against exogenous DNA. Although genes responsible for cell wall synthesis inC. glutamicum are known, engineering of related genes to improve cell competency has not been explored yet. In this study, we demonstrate that mutations in cell wall synthesis genes can significantly improve the electrotransformation efficiency ofC. glutamicum . Notably, the Y489C mutation in bifunctional peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase/peptidoglycandd -transpeptidase PonA increased electrotransformation efficiency by 19.25-fold by affecting peptidoglycan synthesis.