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Metabolic Engineering of a Methanotroph for the Production of C40 Carotenoids for Aquaculture Applications
Author(s) -
Sharpe Pamela Lorraine
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.413.2
Subject(s) - metabolic engineering , carotenoid , methanotroph , biology , computational biology , gene , biochemistry , anaerobic oxidation of methane , catalysis
Metabolic engineering of an obligate methanotroph, Methylomonas sp . 16a, for the production of high‐value carotenoids from methane or methanol has been accomplished. We have used genomic and genetic approaches to greatly accelerate the generation of high‐titer carotenoid‐producing strains derived from Methylomonas sp. 16a. This accomplishment demonstrates the ability to rapidly engineer non‐traditional microbial hosts and further indicates that globally available methane or methanol can serve as alternative feedstocks for bioprocesses. Methylomonas sp. 16a is a freshwater isolate classified on the basis of 16S rRNA analysis as well as biochemical traits. We have sequenced and annotated the Methylomonas genome, which has allowed unique insight into its metabolic capabilities. Metabolic engineering of Methylomonas has been used to produce various C 40 carotenoids where high titers accumulate in the extensive intracytoplasmic membrane system. This work will show that it is possible to go from an environmental isolate, with no genetic system, to a metabolically engineered strain that meets production metrics in a short period of time via an interdisciplinary team of molecular biologists and engineers.