Abstract
A genetically engineered strain of Escherichia coli JM109 harboring the isopropanol-producing pathway consisting of five genes encoding four enzymes, thiolase, coenzyme A (CoA) transferase, acetoacetate decarboxylase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, and primary–secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from C. beijerinckii NRRL B593, produced up to 227 mM of isopropanol from glucose under aerobic fed-batch culture conditions. Acetate production by the engineered strain was approximately one sixth that produced by a control E. coli strain bearing an expression vector without the clostridial genes. These results demonstrate a functional isopropanol-producing pathway in E. coli and consequently carbon flux from acetyl-CoA directed to isopropanol instead of acetate. This is the first report on isopropanol production by genetically engineered microorganism under aerobic culture conditions.
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We thank C. A. Omumasaba (RITE) for helpful comments on the manuscript.
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Jojima, T., Inui, M. & Yukawa, H. Production of isopropanol by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 77, 1219–1224 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1246-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1246-8