title: Engineering S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus towards concurrent production of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin biopolymers of biomedical interest.
abstract: Glycosaminoglycans, such as hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate, are not only more and more required as main ingredients in cosmeceutical and nutraceutical preparations, but also as active principles in medical devices and pharmaceutical products. However, while biotechnological production of hyaluronic acid is industrially established through fermentation of Streptococcus spp. and recently Bacillus subtilis, biotechnological chondroitin is not yet on the market. A non-hemolytic and hyaluronidase negative S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus mutant strain was engineered in this work by the addition of two E. coli K4 genes, namely kfoA and kfoC, involved in the biosynthesis of chondroitin-like polysaccharide. Chondroitin is the precursor of chondroitin sulphate, a nutraceutical present on the market as anti-arthritic drug, that is lately being studied for its intrinsic bioactivity. In small scale bioreactor batch experiments the production of about 1.46 ± 0.38 g/L hyaluronic acid and 300 ± 28 mg/L of chondroitin with an average molecular weight of 1750 and 25 kDa, respectively, was demonstrated, providing an approach to the concurrent production of both biopolymers in a single fermentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy. donatella.cimini@unicampania.it.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cimini
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Ileana Dello
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Iacono
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carlino
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Finamore
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Odile F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Restaino
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Diana
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, via Cinthia, 4, 80126, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bedini
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (ex Second University of Naples), via de Crecchio 7, 80138, Naples, Italy. chiara.schiraldi@unicampania.it.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schiraldi
keywords: Chondroitin; Co-production; Hyaluronic acid; Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus