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High butanol production by regulating carbon, redox and energy in Clostridia

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Abstract

Butanol is a promising biofuel with high energy intensity and can be used as gasoline substitute. It can be produced as a sustainable energy by microorganisms (such as Clostridia) from low-value biomass. However, the low productivity, yield and selectivity in butanol fermentation are still big challenges due to the lack of an efficient butanol-producing host strain. In this article, we systematically review the host cell engineering of Clostridia, focusing on (1) various strategies to rebalance metabolic flux to achieve a high butanol production by regulating the metabolism of carbon, redox or energy, (2) the challenges in pathway manipulation, and (3) the application of proteomics technology to understand the intracellular metabolism. In addition, the process engineering is also briefly described. The objective of this review is to summarize the previous research achievements in the metabolic engineering of Clostridium and provide guidance for future novel strain construction to effectively produce butanol.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA

    Jianfa Ou, Chao Ma, Ningning Xu & Xiaoguang (Margaret) Liu

  2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Yinming Du

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  1. Jianfa Ou
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  2. Chao Ma
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  5. Xiaoguang (Margaret) Liu
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Correspondence to Xiaoguang (Margaret) Liu.

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Dedicated to the 120th Anniversary of Tianjin University

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Ou, J., Ma, C., Xu, N. et al. High butanol production by regulating carbon, redox and energy in Clostridia. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 9, 317–323 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1522-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1522-6

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