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Photoautotrophic synthesis of butyrate by metabolically engineered cyanobacteria
Author(s) -
Lai Martin J.,
Lan Ethan I.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.26903
Subject(s) - butyrate , metabolic engineering , photosynthesis , autotroph , cyanobacteria , chemistry , biochemistry , microorganism , carbon dioxide , biology , fermentation , bacteria , organic chemistry , enzyme , genetics
Direct conversion of carbon dioxide into chemicals using engineered autotrophic microorganisms offers a potential solution for both sustainability and carbon mitigation. Butyrate is an important chemical used in various industries, including fragrance, food, and plastics. A model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 was engineered for the direct photosynthetic conversion of CO 2 to butyrate. An engineered Clostridium Coenzyme A (CoA)‐dependent pathway leading to the synthesis of butyryl‐CoA, the precursor to butyrate, was introduced into S. elongatus PCC 7942. Two CoA removal strategies were then individually coupled to the modified CoA‐dependent pathway to yield butyrate production. Similar results were observed between the two CoA removal strategies. The best butyrate producing strain of S. elongatus resulted in an observed butyrate titer of 750 mg/L and a cumulative titer of 1.1 g/L. These results demonstrated the feasibility of photosynthetic butyrate production and expanded the chemical repertoire accessible for production by photoautotrophs.