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A recombinant α-dioxygenase from rice to produce fatty aldehydes using E. coli

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Abstract

Fatty aldehydes are an important group of fragrance and flavor compounds that are found in different fruits and flowers. A biotechnological synthesis of fatty aldehydes based on Escherichia coli cells expressing an α-dioxygenase (αDOX) from Oryza sativa (rice) is presented. α-Dioxygenases are the initial enzymes of α-oxidation in plants and oxidize long and medium-chain Cn fatty acids to 2-hydroperoxy fatty acids. The latter are converted to Cn − 1 fatty aldehydes by spontaneous decarboxylation. Successful expression of αDOX in E. coli was proven by an in vitro luciferase assay. Using resting cells of this recombinant E. coli strain, conversion of different fatty acids to the respective fatty aldehydes shortened by one carbon atom was demonstrated. The usage of Triton X 100 improves the conversion rate up to 1 g aldehyde per liter per hour. Easy reuse of the cells was demonstrated by performing a second biotransformation without any loss of biocatalytic activity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Symrise AG for funding of the project (FKZ 0315177A).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DECHEMA e.V. Karl-Winnacker-Institut, Biochemical Engineering, Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25, 60486, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

    Fenja Kaehne, Markus Buchhaupt & Jens Schrader

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  1. Fenja Kaehne
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  2. Markus Buchhaupt
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  3. Jens Schrader
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Correspondence to Jens Schrader.

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Kaehne, F., Buchhaupt, M. & Schrader, J. A recombinant α-dioxygenase from rice to produce fatty aldehydes using E. coli . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 90, 989–995 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3165-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3165-y

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