Increased beta-carotene production in recombinant Escherichia coli harboring an engineered isoprenoid precursor pathway with mevalonate addition

Biotechnol Prog. 2007 May-Jun;23(3):599-605. doi: 10.1021/bp070012p. Epub 2007 May 15.

Abstract

When pT-LYCm4 containing lycopene synthetic genes was co-transformed with pSUcrtY or pSHcrtY containing crtY gene of Pantoea ananatis (P. ananatis) or Pantoea agglomerans (P. agglomerans), beta-carotene productions of 36 and 35 mg/L were obtained, respectively. No lycopene was detected in the beta-carotene production culture. pT-HB, constructed by addition of P. ananatis crtY gene into pT-LYCm4, was used for co-transformation with pSdxs and pSSN12Didi, which increased isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate synthesis. beta-Carotene production significantly increased 1.5-fold (51 mg/L) with the amplification of the dxs gene through pSdxs and 4-fold (135 mg/L) with the mevalonate bottom pathway of pSSN12Didi in the presence of 3.3 mM mevalonate. The pT-DHB, constructed by integrating the dxs gene into pT-HB, was used for cotransformation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) harboring pSSN12Didi, resulting in beta-carotene production of 141 mg/L. Recombinant E. coli harboring pT-DHB and pSSN12Didi was used to maximize beta-carotene production by adjusting the available amounts of glycerol, a carbon source, and mevalonate, the precursor of the mevalonate bottom pathway. When recombinant E. coli was given 16.5 mM mevalonate and 2.5% (w/v) glycerol, beta-carotene production of 503 mg/L in concentration and 49.3 mg/g DCW in content was obtained at 144 h, which was the highest level of carotenoid production in E. coli ever reported in the literature.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / drug effects
  • Genetic Engineering / methods
  • Glycerol / pharmacology
  • Hemiterpenes / metabolism
  • Intramolecular Lyases / genetics*
  • Intramolecular Lyases / metabolism
  • Mevalonic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Models, Biological
  • Organophosphorus Compounds / metabolism
  • Pantoea / genetics
  • Terpenes / metabolism*
  • beta Carotene / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Hemiterpenes
  • Organophosphorus Compounds
  • Terpenes
  • beta Carotene
  • isopentenyl pyrophosphate
  • Intramolecular Lyases
  • lycopene cyclase-isomerase
  • Glycerol
  • Mevalonic Acid