title: Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for α-farnesene production.
abstract: Sesquiterpenes are important materials in pharmaceuticals and industry. Metabolic engineering has been successfully used to produce these valuable compounds in microbial hosts. However, the microbial potential of sesquiterpene production is limited by the poor heterologous expression of plant sesquiterpene synthases and the deficient FPP precursor supply. In this study, we engineered E. coli to produce α-farnesene using a codon-optimized α-farnesene synthase and an exogenous MVA pathway. Codon optimization of α-farnesene synthase improved both the synthase expression and α-farnesene production. Augmentation of the metabolic flux for FPP synthesis conferred a 1.6- to 48.0-fold increase in α-farnesene production. An additional increase in α-farnesene production was achieved by the protein fusion of FPP synthase and α-farnesene synthase. The engineered E. coli strain was able to produce 380.0 mg/L of α-farnesene, which is an approximately 317-fold increase over the initial production of 1.2 mg/L.
authors: Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Program), EB-NCRC and PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Chonglong
authors: C
authors: Wang
authors: Sang-Hwal
authors: SH
authors: Yoon
authors: Hui-Jeong
authors: HJ
authors: Jang
authors: Young-Ryun
authors: YR
authors: Chung
authors: Jae-Yean
authors: JY
authors: Kim
authors: Eui-Sung
authors: ES
authors: Choi
authors: Seon-Won
authors: SW
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D003062:Codon; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051228:Geranyltranstransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D011755:Pyrophosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C062672:alpha-farnesene; D051228:Geranyltranstransferase; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; C570665:alpha-farnesene synthase, E coli