Enhancing 1,3-Propanediol Productivity in the Non-Model Chassis <i>Clostridium beijerinckii</i> through Genetic Manipulation

Biotechnological processes at biorefineries are considered one of the most attractive alternatives for valorizing biomasses by converting them into bioproducts, biofuels, and bioenergy. For example, biodiesel can be obtained from oils and grease but generates glycerol as a byproduct. Glycerol recycl...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jonatã Bortolucci, María-Eugenia Guazzaroni, Teresa Schoch, Peter Dürre, Valeria Reginatto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-07-01
Series:Microorganisms
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/7/1855
Description
Summary:Biotechnological processes at biorefineries are considered one of the most attractive alternatives for valorizing biomasses by converting them into bioproducts, biofuels, and bioenergy. For example, biodiesel can be obtained from oils and grease but generates glycerol as a byproduct. Glycerol recycling has been studied in several bioprocesses, with one of them being its conversion to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) by <i>Clostridium</i>. <i>Clostridium beijerinckii</i> is particularly interesting because it can produce a range of industrially relevant chemicals, including solvents and organic acids, and it is non-pathogenic. However, while <i>Clostridium</i> species have many potential advantages as chassis for synthetic biology applications, there are significant limitations when considering their use, such as their limited genetic tools, slow growth rate, and oxygen sensitivity. In this work, we carried out the overexpression of the genes involved in the synthesis of 1,3-PDO in <i>C. beijerinckii</i> Br21, which allowed us to increase the 1,3-PDO productivity in this strain. Thus, this study contributed to a better understanding of the metabolic pathways of glycerol conversion to 1,3-PDO by a <i>C. beijerinckii</i> isolate. Also, it made it possible to establish a transformation method of a modular vector in this strain, therefore expanding the limited genetic tools available for this bacterium, which is highly relevant in biotechnological applications.
ISSN:2076-2607