Using 1-propanol to significantly enhance the production of valuable odd-chain fatty acids by Rhodococcus opacus PD630

• Published in: World journal of microbiology & biotechnology Vol. 35; no. 11; pp. 164 - 8
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lin-Shang, Xu, Pei, Chu, Mei-Yun, Zong, Min-Hua, Yang, Ji-Guo, Lou, Wen-Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 1-Propanol - metabolism; 1-Propanol - pharmacology; Acyl carrier protein; Acyl Coenzyme A; Agricultural practices; Agrochemicals; Alcohols - pharmacology; Applied Microbiology; Biochemistry; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Elongation; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - biosynthesis; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated - metabolism; Fermentation; Gene expression; Intermediates; Life Sciences; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Methylmalonyl-CoA; Microbiology; Oil; Organic chemistry; Original Paper; Propanol; Rhodococcus; Rhodococcus - drug effects; Rhodococcus - growth & development; Rhodococcus - metabolism; Rhodococcus opacus; Synthesis; Transcriptome; Odd-chain fatty acid; Microbial oil; 1-Propanol; methylmalonyl-CoA pathway; Rhodococcus opacus
• ISSN: 0959-3993; 1573-0972
• DOI: 10.1007/s11274-019-2748-0

Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) have been reported to possess pharmacological activity and have been used in the manufacture of agricultural and industrial chemicals. We here provided a new method to increase the OCFAs content in oil produced by Rhodococcus opacus PD630 through addition of 1-propanol to the fermentation media. The OCFAs in oil of R. opacus PD630 are primarily pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) and heptadecenoic acid (C17:1). After adding 0.5–1.5% (v/v) 1-propanol, the production of oil increased from 1.27 g/L to 1.31–1.61 g/L, and the OCFAs content in oil increased by 46.7–55.1%. Metabolic intermediates determination and transcriptome analysis revealed that R. opacus assimilated 1-propanol through methylmalonyl-CoA pathway. When the nitrogen source was limited, propionyl-CoA was converted to propionyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) which could be used as primer during the elongation of fatty acid synthesis. Then OCFAs were produced when odd number of propionyl-ACP was incorporated in the cycles of fatty acid synthesis. Graphic Abstract