Yeounjoo Ko

Effect of puuC overexpression and nitrate addition on glycerol metabolism and anaerobic 3-hydroxypropionic acid production in recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae ΔglpKΔdhaT

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), an industrially important platform chemical, is used as a precursor during the production of many commercially important chemicals. Recently, recombinant strains of K. pneumoniae overexpressing an NAD(+)-dependent γ-glutamyl-γ-aminobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase (PuuC) enzyme of K. pneumoniae DSM 2026 were shown to produce 3-HP from glycerol without the addition coenzyme B(12), which is expensive. However, 3-HP production in K. pneumoniae is accompanied with NADH generation, and this always results in large accumulation of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and lactic acid. In this study, we investigated the potential use of nitrate as an electron acceptor both to regenerate NAD(+) and to prevent the formation of byproducts during anaerobic production of 3-HP from glycerol. Nitrate addition could improve NAD(+) regeneration, but decreased glycerol flux towards 3-HP production. To divert more glycerol towards 3-HP, a novel recombinant strain K. pneumoniae ΔglpKΔdhaT (puuC) was developed by disrupting the glpK gene, which encodes glycerol kinase, and the dhaT gene, which encodes 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase. This strain showed improved cellular NAD(+) concentrations and a high carbon flux towards 3-HP production. Through anaerobic cultivation in the presence of nitrate, this recombinant strain produced more than 40±3mM 3-HP with more than 50% yield on glycerol in shake flasks and 250±10mM 3-HP with approximately 30% yield on glycerol in a fed-batch bioreactor.

Production of 3‐hydroxypropionic acid from glycerol by recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae ΔdhaTΔyqhD which can produce vitamin B12 naturally

3‐Hydroxypropionic acid (3‐HP) is an important platform chemical that can be used to synthesize a range of chemical compounds. A previous study demonstrated that recombinant Escherichia coli stains can produce 3‐HP from glycerol in the presence of vitamin B12 (coenzyme B12), when overexpressed with a coenzyme B12‐dependent glycerol dehydratase (DhaB) and an aldehyde dehydrogenase. The present study examined the production of 3‐HP in recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, which naturally synthesizes vitamin B12 and does not require supplementation of the expensive vitamin. The NAD+‐dependent gamma‐glutamyl‐gamma‐aminobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase (PuuC) of K. pneumoniae alone or with its DhaB was overexpressed homologously, and two major oxidoreductases, DhaT and YqhD, were disrupted. Without vitamin B12 addition, the recombinant K. pneumoniae ΔdhaTΔyqhD overexpressing PuuC could produce ∼3.8 g/L 3‐HP in 12 h of flask culture. However, this was possible only under the appropriate aeration conditions; 1,3‐propanediol (1,3‐PDO) (instead of 3‐HP) was mainly produced when aeration was insufficient, whereas a very small amount of both 3‐HP and 1,3‐PDO were produced when aeration was too high. The production of a small amount of 3‐HP under improper aeration conditions was attributed to either slow NAD+ regeneration (under low aeration) or reduced vitamin B12 synthesis (under high aeration). In a glycerol fed‐batch bioreactor experiment under a constant DO of 5%, the strain, K. pneumoniae ΔdhaTΔyqhD, overexpressing both PuuC and DhaB could produce >28 g/L 3‐HP in 48 h with a yield of >40% on glycerol. Only small amount of 3‐HP was produced when cultivation was carried out at a constant aeration of 1 vvm or constant 10% DO. These results show that K. pneumoniae is potentially useful for the production of 3‐HP in an economical culture medium that does not require vitamin B12. The results also suggest that the aeration conditions should be optimized carefully for the efficient production of 3‐HP while using this strain. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 511–524.

Simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from glycerol using resting cells of the lactate dehydrogenase-deficient recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae overexpressing an aldehyde dehydrogenase

In the present study, the lactate dehydrogenase-deficient (ldhA(-)) recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae overexpressing an ALDH (KGSADH) was developed and the co-production of 3-HP and PDO from glycerol by this recombinant under resting cell conditions was examined. The new recombinant did not produce any appreciable lactate, which seriously inhibits the production of 3-HP and PDO. The final titers of 3-HP and PDO by the ldhA(-) recombinant strain at 60 h were 252.2 mM and 308.7 mM, respectively, which were improved by approximately 30% and 50%, respectively, compared to those by the counterpart recombinant strain, which was the wild type for ldhA. In addition, after deleting ldhA, the cumulative yield on glycerol and specific production rate of these two metabolites (3-HP and PDO) were enhanced by 41.4% and 52%, respectively.

Glycerol assimilation and production of 1,3-propanediol by Citrobacter amalonaticus Y19.

Citrobacter amalonaticus Y19 (Y19) was isolated because of its ability for carbon monoxide-dependent hydrogen production (water–gas shift reaction). This paper reports the assimilation of glycerol and the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) by Y19. Genome sequencing revealed that Y19 contained the genes for the utilization of glycerol and 1,2-propanediol (pdu operon) along with those for the synthesis of coenzyme B12 (cob operon). On the other hand, it did not possess the genes for the fermentative metabolism of glycerol of Klebsiella pneumoniae, which consists of both the oxidative (dhaD and dhaK) and reductive (dhaB and dhaT) pathways. In shake-flask cultivation under aerobic conditions, Y19 could grow well with glycerol as the sole carbon source and produced 1,3-PDO. The level of 1,3-PDO production was improved when vitamin B12 was added to the culture medium under aerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, cell growth and 1,3-PDO production on glycerol was also possible, but only when an exogenous electron acceptor, such as nitrate or fumarate, was added. This is the first report of the glycerol metabolism and 1,3-PDO production by C. amalonaticus Y19.

Coenzyme B12 can be produced by engineered Escherichia coli under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions.

Coenzyme B12 (Vitamin B12) is one of the most complex biomolecules and an essential cofactor required for the catalytic activity of many enzymes. Pseudomonas denitrificans synthesizes coenzyme B12 in an oxygen‐dependent manner using a pathway encoded by more than 25 genes that are located in six different operons. Escherichia coli, a robust and suitable host for metabolic engineering was used to produce coenzyme B12. These genes were cloned into three compatible plasmids and expressed heterologously in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Real‐time PCR, SDS–PAGE analysis and bioassay showed that the recombinant E. coli expressed the coenzyme B12 synthetic genes and successfully produced coenzyme B12. However, according to the quantitative determination by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry, the amount of coenzyme B12 produced by the recombinant E. coli (0.21 ± 0.02 μg/g cdw) was approximately 13‐fold lower than that by P. denitrificans (2.75 ± 0.22 μg/g cdw). Optimization of the culture conditions to improve the production of coenzyme B12 by the recombinant E. coli was successful, and the highest titer (0.65 ± 0.03 μg/g cdw) of coenzyme B12 was obtained. Interestingly, although the synthesis of coenzyme B12 in P. denitrificans is strictly oxygen‐dependent, the recombinant E. coli could produce coenzyme B12 under anaerobic conditions.

Metabolic engineering of Klebsiella pneumoniae J2B for co-production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from glycerol: Reduction of acetate and other by-products

Production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) or 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) production from glycerol is challenging due to the problems associated with cofactor regeneration, coenzyme B12 synthesis, and the instability of pathway enzymes. To address these complications, simultaneous production of 3-HP and 1,3-PDO, instead of individual production of each compound, was attempted. With over-expression of an aldehyde dehydrogenase, recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae could co-produce 3-HP and 1,3-PDO successfully. However, the production level was unsatisfactory due to excessive accumulation of many by-products, especially acetate. To reduce acetate production, we attempted; (i) reduction of glycerol assimilation through the glycolytic pathway, (ii) increase of glycerol flow towards co-production, and (iii) variation of aeration rate. These efforts were partially beneficial in reducing acetate and improving co-production: 21g/L of 1,3-PDO and 43g/L of 3-HP were obtained. Excessive acetate (>150mM) was still produced at the end of bioreactor runs, and limited co-production efficiency.

Deletion of putative oxidoreductases from Klebsiella pneumoniae J2B could reduce 1,3-propanediol during the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid from glycerol

Recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae over-expressing 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) dehydrogenase can produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), an important platform chemical, from glycerol. However, K. pneumoniae co-produces 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) due to the presence of 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductases, which decreases the titer and yield of 3-HP. Previously, two major oxidoreductases, dhaT and yqhD, were removed from K. pneumoniae; however the mutant still produced a significant amount of 1,3-PDO, indicating the probable existence of other oxidoreductase(s). Genome analysis of K. pneumoniae revealed the presence of five putative oxidoreductases having high amino acid similarities to both DhaT (primary 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase) and YqhD (aldehyde dehydrogenase). Among them, adhE was highly expressed in the absence of DhaT and YqhD. Additionally, an alkyl hydroperoxide oxidoreductase (ahpF), albeit dissimilar to both DhaT and YqhD, was highly expressed in the absence of DhaT and YqhD. To examine the role of adhE and ahpF in 1,3-PDO production, mutant strains devoid of dhaT, yqhD, ahpF and/or adhE genes were developed. However, these mutants neither reduced the production of 1,3-PDO nor improved the production of 3-HP when engineered to over-express an aldehyde dehydrogenase (KGSADH). These results indicate that, apart from DhaT, YqhD, AhpF and AdhE, K. pneumoniae has other, unknown oxidoreductases that are involved in 1,3-PDO production. It is concluded that complete elimination of 1,3-PDO during 3-HP production from glycerol by K. pneumoniae is highly challenging.

Evaluation of Newly Isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains for the Co-Production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from Glycerol

Co-production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) was suggested as an innovative strategy to overcome several limitations occurring in the single production of 3-HP from glycerol. In this study, two new isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, which produce less lipopolysaccharide (LPS) thus considered less pathogenic than K. pneumoniae DSM 2026, were compared and evaluated for their potential for the co-production of 3-HP and 1,3-PDO. The newly isolated strains showed significantly faster sedimentation rate than DSM, which should be beneficial for downstream processing. Analysis of genome sequences of the isolates confirmed the presence of all genes necessary for glycerol assimilation, 1,3-PDO production and biosynthesis of coenzyme B12. Co-production yield was highest under anaerobic condition while cell growth was highest under aerobic condition. Both strains showed similarly good performance for the co-production although J2B gave the slightly higher co-production yield of 0.80 mol/mol than GSC021 (0.75 mol/mol). The evaluation of the newly developed strains presented here should be useful in designing similar evaluation experiments for other microorganisms.