Biocatalytic production of (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol from diacetyl using whole cells of engineered Escherichia coli

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 115; pp. 111 - 116
• Main Authors: Li, Lixiang, Wang, Yu, Zhang, Lijie, Ma, Cuiqing, Wang, Ailong, Tao, Fei, Xu, Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2012
• Subjects: (2S,3S)-2,3-Butanediol; 2,3-Butanediol dehydrogenase; Alcohol Oxidoreductases - genetics; Batch Cell Culture Techniques; Biocatalysis; Biosynthetic Pathways; Butylene Glycols - chemistry; Butylene Glycols - metabolism; Cloning, Molecular; Diacetyl; Diacetyl - metabolism; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Enterobacter cloacae; Enterobacter cloacae ssp. dissolvens; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - cytology; Escherichia coli - enzymology; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Feasibility Studies; Genetic Engineering - methods; Recombination, Genetic - genetics; Stereoisomerism; 2,3-Butanediol dehydrogenase; Enterobacter cloacae ssp. dissolvens; Diacetyl; (2S,3S)-2,3-Butanediol
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.08.097

► We cloned a 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase gene and expressed it in Escherichia coli. ► We confirmed the stereospecificity of the 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase. ► We used the engineered E. coli to produce (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol from diacetyl. ► The concentration of (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol produced was higher than other reports. (2S,3S)-2,3-Butanediol ((2S,3S)-2,3-BD) is a crucial chiral compound that acts as an excellent building block in asymmetric synthesis of highly valuable chiral compounds. However, the low concentration and optical purity of (2S,3S)-2,3-BD produced in previous studies limited its applications. In the present work, the gene encoding 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase from an Enterobacter cloacae ssp. dissolvens strain SDM was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Whole cells of the recombinant E. coli was used to produce (2S,3S)-2,3-BD from diacetyl. Under optimal conditions, high-optical-purity (2S,3S)-2,3-BD (purity >99%) was obtained with concentrations of 16.1gl−1 and 26.8gl−1 in batch and fed-batch conversions, respectively. Thus, the process might be a promising alternative for the production of (2S,3S)-2,3-BD.