Factors involved in the regulatory network of polyhydroxyalkanoate metabolism.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bacterial storage materials which are accumulated by various bacteria under unbalanced growth conditions. Although PHAs are produced in larger amounts and are studied because of their plastic material properties, not much is known about the regulation of PHA accumulation and the regulatory interactions with the general cell metabolism. In this report, we point out the diversity of regulatory mechanisms involved in PHA metabolism, and present examples for factors acting at the transcription or enzymatic level.