Publications

Background: Imbalance in cofactors causing the accumulation of intermediates in biosynthesis pathways is a frequently occurring problem in metabolic engineering when optimizing a production pathway in a microorganism. In our previous study, a single knock-out Citrobacter werkmanii Delta dhaD was constructed for improved 1,3-propanediol (PDO) production. Instead of an enhanced PDO concentration on this strain, the gene knock-out led to the ...

Background: 1,3-propanediol (PDO) is a substantially industrial metabolite used in the polymer industry. Although several natural PDO production hosts exist, e.g. Klebsiella sp., Citrobacter sp. and Clostridium sp., the PDO yield on glycerol is insufficient for an economically viable bio-process. Enhancing this yield via strain improvement can be achieved by disconnecting the production and growth pathways. In the case of PDO formation, this ...

Several techniques originating from synthetic biology have a big impact on the field of metabolic engineering. These methods are successfully being used to reprogram cell behaviour for example by constructing genetic circuits or introducing heterologous biosynthetic pathways. In this context, specific and controlled gene expression based on the presence of a certain molecule is of great value. Such regulatory elements are abundantly present in ...

In the last couple of years, metabolic engineering is undergoing a transition in which the challenge of microbial synthesis of more complex molecules is tackled by merging metabolic engineering with other disciplines such as systems biology, synthetic biology and protein engineering. As the synthetic pathway of these complex molecules involves multiple, heavily controlled and poorly expressed reactions steps, fine tuning of the pathway is ...

Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are powerful enzymes for the regioselective glycosylation of various small molecules. Because addition of a sugar residue can greatly alter the solubility, stability or bioactivity, the demand for glycosides as nutraceuticals, therapeutics or cosmetics is steadily rising. However, the use of GTs in biocatalysis is often hampered by the need for activated sugar donors (often UDP-sugars) which are expensive and rarely ...

In the past, coupling product formation with growth has proven to be a highly successful metabolic engineering strategy for the biotechnological production of numerous molecules, e.g., succinate (Hong, 2002). The guaranteed (high) product yield, the fast recuperation of cofactors and abundance of intermediates are some of the main advantages. Such a strategy was developed for the production of fructose-6-phosphate derived molecules in E. coli, ...

Escherichia coli strains are widely used as host for the production of recombinant proteins. Compared to E. coli K12, E. coli BL21 (DE3) has several biotechnological advantages, such as a lower acetate yield and a higher biomass yield, which have a beneficial effect on protein production. In a previous study (BMC Microbiol. 2011, 11:70) we have altered the metabolic fluxes of a K12 strain (i.e. E. coli MG1655) by deleting the regulators ArcA and ...