GM Bacterium Features Increased Acetate Production

Acetobacterium woodii now has an increased efficiency for CO₂ fixation, thanks to genetic modification. This new development is vital since acetate, produced via carbonylation of methanol, is a precursor for the production of a variety of chemical products such as polyvinyl acetates. About 2 million tons of acetate per year is produced biotechnologically with aerobic acetogenic bacteria, such as Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, via fermentation of molasses.

These groups of microorganisms possess a pathway for fixation of carbon dioxide in the presence of hydrogen. The genes coding for enzymes involved in this pathway were the targets of the genetic modification of Acetobacterium. By overexpressing these genes, acetate production of the genetically modified strains was increased under pH-controlled reaction conditions. Final acetate concentrations of the recombinant strains were more than 50 g/L at low cell concentrations of 1.5–2 g/L drycell mass in less than four days under autotrophic conditions.

Great interest has emerged recently towards the utilization of these autotrophic acetogenic bacteria for the sustainable production chemicals. This development would surely increase interest even more.

Read more at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168165614001084.