Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 601 W. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
Metab Eng. 2011 Sep;13(5):570-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2011.06.007. Epub 2011 Jul 3.
Biofuel production from renewable resources can potentially address lots of social, economic and environmental issues but an efficient production method has yet to be established. Combinations of different starting materials, organisms and target fuels have been explored with the conversion of cellulose to higher alcohols (1-propanol, 1-butanol) being one potential target. In this study we demonstrate the direct conversion of untreated plant biomass to 1-propanol in aerobic growth conditions using an engineered strain of the actinobacterium, Thermobifida fusca. Based upon computational predictions, a bifunctional butyraldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase was added to T. fusca leading to 1-propanol production during growth on glucose, cellobiose, cellulose, switchgrass and corn stover. The highest 1-propanol titer (0.48g/L) was achieved for growth on switchgrass. These results represent the first demonstration of direct conversion of untreated lignocellulosic biomass to 1-propanol in an aerobic organism and illustrate the potential utility of T. fusca as an aerobic, cellulolytic bioprocess organism.
从可再生资源中生产生物燃料有可能解决许多社会、经济和环境问题，但仍需要建立一种有效的生产方法。已经探索了使用不同起始材料、生物体和目标燃料的组合，将纤维素转化为更高醇（1-丙醇、1-丁醇）是一个潜在的目标。在这项研究中，我们展示了使用放线菌嗜热纤维单胞菌的工程菌株，在需氧生长条件下将未经处理的植物生物质直接转化为 1-丙醇。基于计算预测，向 T. fusca 添加了一种双功能丁醛/醇脱氢酶，导致在葡萄糖、纤维二糖、纤维素、柳枝稷和玉米秸秆上生长时产生 1-丙醇。在柳枝稷上生长时，1-丙醇的最高产量（0.48g/L）。这些结果代表了在好氧生物中未经处理的木质纤维素生物质直接转化为 1-丙醇的首次证明，并说明了 T. fusca 作为好氧、纤维素分解生物过程生物的潜在用途。
