title: Engineering Escherichia coli K12 MG1655 to use starch.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To attain a sustainable bioeconomy, fuel, or valuable product, production must use biomass as substrate. Starch is one of the most abundant biomass resources and is present as waste or as a food and agroindustry by-product. Unfortunately, Escherichia coli, one of the most widely used microorganisms in biotechnological processes, cannot use starch as a carbon source.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We engineered an E. coli strain capable of using starch as a substrate. The genetic design employed the native capability of the bacterium to use maltodextrins as a carbon source plus expression and secretion of its endogenous α-amylase, AmyA, in an adapted background. Biomass production improved using 35% dissolved oxygen and pH 7.2 in a controlled bioreactor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The engineered E. coli strain can use starch from the milieu and open the possibility of optimize the process to use agroindustrial wastes to produce biofuels and other valuable chemicals.
authors.forename: Luis Manuel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rosales-Colunga
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, CINVESTAV, Km 9,6 Libramiento Norte Carr, Irapuato-León, 36821 Irapuato, Gto, México. amartinez@ira.cinvestav.mx.
authors.forename: Agustino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Antonio
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D048168:Escherichia coli K12 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism*; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D013213:Starch; D000516:alpha-Amylases