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Production of L ‐DOPA and dopamine in recombinant bacteria bearing the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene
Author(s) -
Kurt Asli Giray,
Aytan Emel,
Ozer Ufuk,
Ates Burhan,
Geckil Hikmet
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.200900130
Subject(s) - citrobacter freundii , heterologous , biology , recombinant dna , bacteria , tyrosine , biochemistry , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , enterobacteriaceae , escherichia coli , genetics
Given the well‐established beneficial effects of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) on heterologous organisms, the potential of this protein for the production of L ‐DOPA and dopamine in two bacteria, Citrobacter freundii and Erwinia herbicola , was investigated. The constructed recombinants bearing the VHb gene ( vgb + ) had substantially higher levels of cytoplasmic L ‐DOPA (112 mg/L for C. freundii and 97 mg/L for E. herbicola ) than their respective hosts (30.4 and 33.8 mg/L) and the vgb – control strains (35.6 and 35.8 mg/L). Further, the vgb + recombinants of C. freundii and E. herbicola had 20‐fold and about two orders of magnitude higher dopamine levels than their hosts, repectively. The activity of tyrosine phenol‐lyase, the enzyme converting L ‐tyrosine to L ‐DOPA, was well‐correlated to cytoplasmic L ‐DOPA levels. As cultures aged, higher tyrosine phenol‐lyase activity of the vgb + strains was more apparent.