title: Genetic basis for hyper production of hyaluronic acid in natural and engineered microorganisms.
abstract: Hyaluronic acid, or HA, is a rigid and linear biopolymer belonging to the class of the glycosaminoglycans, and composed of repeating units of the monosaccharides glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. HA has multiple important functions in the human body, due to its properties such as bio-compatibility, lubricity and hydrophilicity, it is widely applied in the biomedical, food, health and cosmetic fields. The growing interest in this molecule has motivated the discovery of new ways of obtaining it. Traditionally, HA has been extracted from rooster comb-like animal tissues. However, due to legislation laws HA is now being produced by bacterial fermentation using Streptococcus zooepidemicus, a natural producer of HA, despite it being a pathogenic microorganism. With the expansion of new genetic engineering technologies, the use of organisms that are non-natural producers of HA has also made it possible to obtain such a polymer. Most of the published reviews have focused on HA formulation and its effects on different body tissues, whereas very few of them describe the microbial basis of HA production. Therefore, for the first time this review has compiled the molecular and genetic bases for natural HA production in microorganisms together with the main strategies employed for heterologous production of HA.
authors.affiliation: Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.790-160, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Davies
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Integra Bioprocessos e Análises, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Edifício CDT, Sala AT-36/37, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.904-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas Silva
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Engenharia Metabólica Aplicada a Bioprocessos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.790-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antônio Milton Vieira
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Engenharia Metabólica Aplicada a Bioprocessos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.790-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lúcio Rezende
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.affiliation: Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.790-160, Brazil.|Integra Bioprocessos e Análises, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Edifício CDT, Sala AT-36/37, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.904-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Beatriz Simas
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Engenharia Metabólica Aplicada a Bioprocessos, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, CEP 70.790-900, Brazil. nadiasp@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nádia Skorupa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7405-9855
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Parachin
mesh_terms: D005285:Fermentation; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D018502:Streptococcus equi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006820:Hyaluronic Acid
keywords: Bacillus subtillis; Escherichia coli; Hyaluron synthase; Hyaluronic acid; Pasteurella multocida; Pichia pastoris; Streptococcus zooepidemicus