Washington University Scientists Engineer E. coli for Enhanced Production of Branched-Chain Fatty Acids
August 24, 2016http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096717616300568
| |
Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are key precursors of branched-chain fuels, which are superior to straight chain fuels. BCFA production in Gram-negative bacterial hosts is challenging since it competes directly with an efficient straight-chain fatty acid (SCFA) pathway.
The team of Gayle J. Bentley from Washington University recently identified and fixed the bottleneck in BCFA production. The team engineered two protein lipoylation pathways that increased BCFA production dramatically. An Escherichia coli strain expressing an optimized lipoylation pathway produced 276 mg/L BCFA, comprising 85% of the total free fatty acids (FFAs). When the lypolation pathways were partnered with an engineered branched-chain amino acid pathway, BCFA was produced from glucose at 181 mg/L and 72% of total FFA.
This study proves a platform for high percentage BCFA production, and will serve as a basis for production of branched-chain hydrocarbons in engineered bacteria.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Africa's Biosafety Agencies Seek to Harmonize Approaches to Regulatory Systems
- African Countries Strive to Meet Int'l Biosafety Obligations
- Photosynthesis Discovery in Wheat to Yield Faster Growing Crops
- Australia's OGTR Receives Application for Field Trials of Biotech Cotton
- Murdoch University Researchers Increase Wheat Protein to More than 14%
- European Seed Association Asks EU to Recognize Role of Plant Breeding in Addressing Societal Challenges
- EFSA Publishes Public Opinion for Market Release of Pioneer GM Soybean
-
Research Highlights
- CIP Develops Marker-free PLRV Resistant Potato
- Researchers Map QTL for Dwarf Architecture in Oilseed Rape
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Identification of Candidate Genes for Calanolide Synthesis in Santa Maria Tree
-
Announcements
- MOOC: Science and Politics of the GMO
- IUMS Congresses 2017
-
Resources
- Biotech Country Facts and Trends
-
Plant
- Swiss Academies: Strict Regulations Not Necessary for NBTs
- Broad Virus Resistance in Cucumber Developed using CRISPR
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 17, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 10, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet