Effect of process parameters on 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from glycerol using a recombinant Escherichia coli

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 84; no. 4; pp. 649 - 657
• Main Authors: Mohan Raj, Subramanian, Rathnasingh, Chelladurai, Jung, Woo-Chel, Park, Sunghoon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.09.2009; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acid production; Acids; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase - genetics; Antibiotics; Biodiesel fuels; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnological Products and Process Engineering; Biotechnology; Chemical products; Culture Media - chemistry; Dehydrogenases; E coli; Enzymes; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - growth & development; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Glycerol; Glycerol - metabolism; Hydro-Lyases - genetics; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Isopropyl Thiogalactoside - metabolism; Lactic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Lactic Acid - metabolism; Life Sciences; Metabolites; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Physicochemical properties; Potassium; Propylene Glycols - metabolism; Recombinant Proteins - genetics; Studies; Glycerol; 3-Hydroxypropionic acid production; 3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde; Aldehyde dehydrogenase; Glycerol dehydratase; Recombinant; Enzyme; Escherichia coli; ); Lyases; Genetically modified microorganism; Aldehyde dehydrogenase (NAD; Production; Bacteria; Recombinant E. coli; Oxidoreductases; Operating process; Carbon-oxygen lyases; Enterobacteriaceae; Hydro-lyases
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-009-1986-8

The top-valued platform chemical, 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), has a wide range of industrial applications but its biological production is not well established. Previously, the production of 3-HP from glycerol was demonstrated using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain expressing glycerol dehydratase (dhaB) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (aldH). The present investigation focuses on the effect of the culture conditions on the production of 3-HP from glycerol. The physicochemical parameters, such as pH, IPTG concentration, liquid-to-flask volume ratio, and substrate concentration, were examined in flask-scale experiments and obtained the highest titer of 3-HP at 4.4 g l⁻¹ in 48 h. When a fed-batch process was carried out in a bioreactor under pH-regulated conditions, the recombinant E. coli produced 3-HP at 31 g l⁻¹ in 72 h with a yield of 0.35 mol mol⁻¹ glycerol. The maximum specific rate of 3-HP production was estimated to be 3.41 mmol g⁻¹ cdw h⁻¹ between 12 and 24 h. Other than 3-HP, propionic acid (3.4 g l⁻¹), 1,3-propanediol (2.4 g l⁻¹), and lactic acid (1.6 g l⁻¹) were produced as the major by-products. This paper reports for the first time a commercially meaningful high titer of 3-HP production.