title: Glycerol acts as alternative electron sink during syngas fermentation by thermophilic anaerobe Moorella thermoacetica.
abstract: Moorella thermoacetica is an anaerobic thermophilic acetogen that is capable of fermenting sugars, H(2)/CO(2) and syngas (H(2)/CO). For this reason, this bacterium is potentially useful for biotechnology applications, particularly the production of biofuel from CO(2). A soil isolate of M. thermoacetica, strain Y72, produces both ethanol and acetate from H(2)/CO(2); however, the maximum concentrations of these two products are too low to enable commercialization of the syngas fermentation process. In the present study, glycerol was identified as a novel electron sink among the fermentation products of strain Y72. Notably, a 1.5-fold increase in the production of ethanol (1.4 mM) was observed in cultures supplemented with glycerol during syngas fermentation. This discovery is expected to aid in the development of novel methods that allow for the regulation of metabolic pathways to direct and increase the production of desirable fermentative compounds.
authors.affiliation: Biomass Refinery Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 3-11-32 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan.
authors.forename: Zen-ichiro
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Science of Matter, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8530, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Science of Matter, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8530, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Science of Matter, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8530, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakashimada
authors.affiliation: Biomass Refinery Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 3-11-32 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan.
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Biomass Refinery Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 3-11-32 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan. Electronic address: katsuji-murakami@aist.go.jp.
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D056804:Biofuels / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D001709:Biotechnology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D004583:Electrons; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D005740:Gases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism*; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D058845:Moorella / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005740:Gases; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D000431:Ethanol; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D006859:Hydrogen; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: Anaerobe; Electron sink; Glycerol; Moorella thermoacetica; Syngas; Thermophilic