Production System for Biodegradable Polyester Polyhydroxybutyrate by Corynebacterium glutamicum

  • Jo, Sung-Jin (Division of Biotechnology and Macromolecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University) ;
  • Ooi, Toshihiko (Division of Biotechnology and Macromolecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University) ;
  • Taguchi, Seiichi (Division of Biotechnology and Macromolecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University)
  • Published : 2006.10.13

Abstract

Corynebacterium glutamicum, which is well known as an amino acid fermentation bacterium, has been used as a producer of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)]. P(3HB) was synthesized in recombinant C. glutamicum harboring the expression plasmid vector with a strong promoter for cell surface protein gene derived from C. glutamicum and P(3HB) biosynthetic gene operon derived from Ralstonia eutropha. The expression of P(3HB) synthase gene was detected by enzyme activity assay. Intracellular P(3HB) was microscopically observed as inclusion granules and its content was calculated to be 22.5 % (w/w) with molecular weight of $2.1{\times}10^{5}$ and polydispersity of 1.63.

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