An engineered methanogenic pathway derived from the domains Bacteria and Archaea.
A plasmid-based expression system wherein mekB was fused to a constitutive Methanosarcina acetivorans promoter was used to express MekB, a broad-specificity esterase from Pseudomonas veronii, in M. acetivorans. The engineered strain had 80-fold greater esterase activity than wild-type M. acetivorans. Methyl acetate and methyl propionate esters served as the sole carbon and energy sources, resulting in robust growth and methane formation, with consumption of >97% of the substrates. Methanol was undetectable at the end of growth with methyl acetate, whereas acetate accumulated, a result consistent with methanol as the more favorable substrate. Acetate was consumed, and growth continued after a period of adaptation. Similar results were obtained with methyl propionate, except propionate was not metabolized.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA. dlessner@uark.edu
Daniel J
DJ
Lessner
Lexan
L
Lhu
Christopher S
CS
Wahal
James G
JG
Ferry
D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004950:Esterases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D000432:Methanol / Q000378:metabolism; D017020:Methanosarcina / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011422:Propionates / Q000378:metabolism; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*
D000085:Acetates; D011422:Propionates; D002244:Carbon; D004950:Esterases; D008697:Methane; C046923:methyl acetate; D000432:Methanol