Microbial hyaluronic acid production.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a commercially valuable medical biopolymer increasingly produced through microbial fermentation. Viscosity limits product yield and the focus of research and development has been on improving the key quality parameters, purity and molecular weight. Traditional strain and process optimisation has yielded significant improvements, but appears to have reached a limit. Metabolic engineering is providing new opportunities and HA produced in a heterologous host is about to enter the market. In order to realise the full potential of metabolic engineering, however, greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying chain termination is required.
Chong
Barrie Fong
BF
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Blank
Lars M
LM
Mclaughlin
Richard
R
Nielsen
Lars K
LK
D000818:Animals; D019149:Bioreactors; D001709:Biotechnology; D003470:Culture Media; D005285:Fermentation; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase; D000076002:Hyaluronan Synthases; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D018502:Streptococcus equi / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014166:Transferases / Q000378:metabolism
D003470:Culture Media; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D014166:Transferases; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase; D000076002:Hyaluronan Synthases