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The biosynthesis of butyric acid from glucose through inverted fatty acid β-oxidation by recombinant Escherichia coli strains was optimized. An increased yield of the target compound was achieved resulting from the plasmid expression of the atoB, fadB, and fadE/fabI genes in the core strain MG∆4 PL-tesB ΔyciA (MG1655 ∆ackA-pta, ∆poxB, ∆ldhA, ∆adhE, PL-SDϕ10-tesB, ∆yciA). The positive effect of enforced ATP hydrolysis on microaerobic conversion of the carbohydrate substrate to the final product by the recombinants was demonstrated. Activation of the futile cycle of pyruvate–phosphoenolpyruvate–pyruvate, due to the increased expression of the ppsA gene, ensured a marked increase in glucose consumption by the recombinants and led to an increase in the molar yield of butyric acid up to 39.5%. When the components of the H+-ATP synthase complex were uncoupled resulting from the deletion of atpFH genes, the molar yield of butyric acid from glucose demonstrated by the strain forming butyryl-CoA by the action of enoyl-ACP reductase FabI reached 46%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverted fatty acid β-oxidation represents a versatile biochemical platform for biosynthesis by the engineered microbial strains of numerous value-added chemicals from convenient and abundant renewable carbon sources, including biomass-derived sugars. Although, in recent years, significant progress has been made in the production through this pathway of n-alcohols, 1,3-diols, and carboxylic acids and its 2,3-unsaturated derivatives, the potential of the pathway for the biosynthesis of 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids remained almost undisclosed. In this study, we demonstrate the microaerobic production of even-chain-length C4–C8 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids from glucose through the inverted fatty acid β-oxidation by engineered E. coli strains. The notable accumulation of target compounds was achieved upon the strong constitutive expression of the genes atoB, fadA, fadB, fadE/fabI, and tesB, which code for the key enzymes catalysing reactions of aerobic fatty acid β-oxidation and thioesterase II, in strains devoid of mixed-acid fermentation pathways and lacking nonspecific thioesterase YciA. The best performing recombinants were able to synthesise up to 14.5 mM of 3-hydroxycarboxylic acids from glucose with a total yield of 0.34 mol/mol and a C4/C6/C8 ratio averaging approximately 63/28/9. The results provide a framework for the development of highly efficient strains and processes for the bio-based production of valuable 3-hydroxycarboxylates from renewable raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of anaplerotic pathways activation on CO2-dependent anaerobic glucose utilization by Escherichia coli strains deficient in the main fermentation pathways and possessing a modified system of glucose transport and phosphorylation was studied. Intracellular CO2 generation in the strains was ensured resulting from oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvic acid by pyruvate dehydrogenase. Sodium bicarbonate dissolved in the medium was used as an external source of CO2. The genes of heterologous pyruvate carboxylase and native NADH-dependent malic enzyme were overexpressed in the strains to allow anaplerotic carboxylation of pyruvic acid to oxaloacetic or malic acid. The ability of the strains to reoxidize NADH utilizing carboxylation products was additionally increased due to enhanced expression of malate dehydrogenase gene. In the case of endogenous CO2 formation, the activation of anaplerotic pathways did not cause a notable increase in the anaerobic glucose consumption by the constructed strains. At the same time, the expression of pyruvate carboxylase led to a pronounced decrease in the secretion of pyruvic acid with the concomitant increase in the yield of four-carbon metabolites. Further enhancement of NADH-dependent malic enzyme expression provoked activation of a pyruvate - oxaloacetate - malate - pyruvate futile cycle in the strains. The availability in the medium of the external CO2 source sharply increased the anaerobic utilization of glucose by strains expressing pyruvate carboxylase. The activity of the futile cycle has raised with the increased malic enzyme expression and dropped upon enhancement of malate dehydrogenase expression. As a result, the efficiency of CO2-dependent anaerobic glucose utilization coupled to the formation of four-carbon carboxylation products increased in the studied strains resulting from the primary anaplerotic conversion of pyruvic acid into oxaloacetic acid followed by the involvement of the precursor formed in NADH-consuming biosynthetic reactions dominating over the reactions of the revealed futile cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli open reading frames ydiO and ydiQRST were identified as genes encoding components of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase complex of anaerobic fatty acid β-oxidation. Individual or concomitant inactivation of fadE gene, encoding known aerobic acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and ydiO and/or ydiQRST genes did not affect cellular growth on glucose as a sole carbon source. Aerobic growth on sodium oleate was observed only for the cells with intact fadE gene. With an alternative electron acceptor, the cells possessing intact fadE gene demonstrated anaerobic growth on sodium oleate irrespective of the presence or absence of ydiO and ydiQRST genes. For the fadE-deficient mutants, anaerobic growth on sodium oleate was observed only for cells with intact ydiO and ydiQRST genes, while the fadE/ydiO and fadE/ydiQRST mutants failed to grow under the similar conditions.