title: Optimization of metabolic pathways for bioconversion of lignocellulose to ethanol through genetic engineering.
abstract: The optimization of metabolic pathways is of fundamental importance for strategies aimed at improving the economics and yield of the lignocellulose-to-ethanol processes. Although Escherichia coli is capable of metabolizing a wide variety of substrates including hexoses and pentoses, its hexose metabolism is inferior to that of Zymomonas mobilis, an obligate, ethanologenic bacterium. We therefore inserted and expressed Z. mobilis genes encoding essential enzymes involved in the fermentation pathway, alcohol dehydrogenase II (adh II) and pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc), into E. coli, resulting in increased cell growth and ethanol production. Ethanol concentrations of >30 g/L were obtained on 10% glucose. Additionally, since pyruvate is mainly assimilated through pyruvate formate lyase (pfl) and forms formic acid and acetyl coenzyme A, metabolic redirection was attempted through gene knockout by Red-mediated recombination to decrease the byproducts of pyruvate metabolism. Under microaerobic conditions, pflA- and pflB-mutants produced more ethanol (163% and 207%, respectively) relative to the parent strain, using glucose as a carbon source.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Science & Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China. chenj@besti.org
authors.forename: Jienan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Weitao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yiqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017355:Zymomonas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; C036909:lignocellulose; D000431:Ethanol; D008031:Lignin; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D000123:Acetyltransferases; C022560:formate C-acetyltransferase; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase; D005947:Glucose