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Genetic Strategies on Kennedy Pathway to Improve Triacylglycerol Production in Oleaginous Rhodococcus Strains

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Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols

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Abstract

During the last years, microorganisms (yeasts, fungi, microalgae, and bacteria) have been receiving increasing attention as alternative lipid sources (also called single cell oils). Some lipid-accumulating bacteria, in particular those belonging to actinomycetes, are able to synthesize remarkably high amounts of triacylglycerides (TAGs) (up to 70% of the cellular dry weight) from simple carbon sources such as glucose, which are accumulated as intracellular lipid bodies. The applied potential of bacterial TAG may be similar to that of vegetable oil sources, such as additives for feed, cosmetics, oleochemicals, lubricants, and other manufactured products. In addition, bacterial oils have been recently considered as alternative sources for biofuel production. Because the development of an industrial and commercially significant process depends on the optimization of engineered cells and the technological procedures, several efforts to improve the natural accumulation of microbial lipids have been performed around the world. This chapter focuses on some genetic strategies for improving TAG accumulation in bacteria using oleaginous Rhodococcus strains as model. Particularly, protocols focus on the two last enzymatic steps of the Kennedy pathway by overexpression of ro00075 gene and 2 atf genes coding for a phosphatidic acid phosphatase type 2 (PAP2) and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WS/DGAT) enzymes, respectively.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Científico Tecnológico (CRIDECIT), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco y CIT-CHUBUT CONICET, Km 4-Ciudad Universitaria, 9000, Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina

    Martín A. Hernández & Héctor M. Alvarez

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  1. Martín A. Hernández
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  2. Héctor M. Alvarez
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Correspondence to Martín A. Hernández .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex Dept. Biological Sciences, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

    Terry J. McGenity

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis

  3. Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Balbina Nogales

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Hernández, M.A., Alvarez, H.M. (2015). Genetic Strategies on Kennedy Pathway to Improve Triacylglycerol Production in Oleaginous Rhodococcus Strains. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales, B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_134

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_134

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-53113-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-53115-0

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