title: Plasmid maintenance and physiology of a genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain during continuous L-carnitine production.
abstract: The effect of immobilization on cell physiology and how this determines cell metabolic performance is an important concern for developing bioprocess. This is particularly true for genetically modified microorganisms and their genetic stability. For this reason the stability and physiological state of plasmid-bearing E. coli cells were ascertained by flow cytometry. Differences in the cellular DNA and protein content (15-20%) permit discrimination of control and plasmid-bearing cells, as well as adaptation to continuous cultivation conditions in both freely suspended and immobilized states to be monitored. Moreover, the observed metabolic burden due to maintenance and over-expression of plasmid-coded genetic material and slow cell growth in poorly-viable immobilized cells were found to be the main factors contributing to strain stabilization.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Murcia, P.O. Box 4021, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Veracruz
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cánovas
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Iborra
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018533:Biomass; D002331:Carnitine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002351:Carrageenan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008863:Microspheres; D008954:Models, Biological; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D002351:Carrageenan; D002331:Carnitine