Isoprene production Using Engineered Synechocystis sp.

Cyanobacteria are phototrophic prokaryotes that convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds using light energy. They only need inorganic nutrients and can be cultivated in high densities using non-arable land and seawater, making them attractive organisms for the production of biofuels and chemical feedstock. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is one of the most widely used cyanobacterial model strains.

The team of Nadin Pade of the University of Rostock in Germany generated Synechocystis sp. strains expressing plant isoprene synthase (IspS) and capable of producing isoprene. A good correlation existed between ispS expression and isoprene production rate. The cultivation of isoprene-producing strains under NaCl-supplemented conditions decreased isoprene production despite enhanced ispS mRNA levels.

The best production strains produced higher isoprene amounts in the presence of low NaCl concentrations. These results will guide future attempts to establish isoprene production in cyanobacterial hosts.