The metabolism and biotechnological application of betaine in microorganism

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 100; no. 9; pp. 3865 - 3876
• Main Authors: Zou, Huibin, Chen, Ningning, Shi, Mengxun, Xian, Mo, Song, Yimin, Liu, Junhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amino acids; Animals; Antibiotics; Archaea; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria; Bacteria - metabolism; Betaine; Betaine - metabolism; biochemical pathways; Biocompatibility; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Carbon/nitrogen ratio; Catabolism; Coenzymes; Complex compounds; Dehydrogenases; Drought; engineering; Enzymes; Ethanol; Fermentation; Functionals; Fungi; Fungi - metabolism; Glycine; Glycine betaine; Health aspects; Life Sciences; Lysine; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Metabolites; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mini-Review; Observations; Osmotic stress; Oxidation; Physiology; plants (botany); Pyruvic acid; Secondary metabolites; Stress, Physiological; Studies; temperature; vitamin B12; Vitamins; Metabolic engineering; One-carbon metabolism; Secondary metabolites; Metabolic pathways; Glycine betaine; Methyl group metabolism
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7462-3
• ISSN: 0175-7598

Glycine betaine (betaine) is widely distributed in nature and can be found in many microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Due to its particular functions, many microorganisms utilize betaine as a functional chemical and have evolved different metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis and catabolism of betaine. As in animals and plants, the principle role of betaine is to protect microbial cells against drought, osmotic stress, and temperature stress. In addition, the role of betaine in methyl group metabolism has been observed in a variety of microorganisms. Recent studies have shown that betaine supplementation can improve the performance of microbial strains used for the fermentation of lactate, ethanol, lysine, pyruvate, and vitamin B 12 , during which betaine can act as stress protectant or methyl donor for the biosynthesis of structurally complex compounds. In this review, we summarize the transport, synthesis, catabolism, and functions of betaine in microorganisms and discuss potential engineering strategies that employ betaine as a methyl donor for the biosynthesis of complex secondary metabolites such as a variety of vitamins, coenzymes, and antibiotics. In conclusion, the biocompatibility, C/N ratio, abundance, and comprehensive metabolic information of betaine collectively indicate that this molecule has great potential for broad applications in microbial biotechnology.