Improving squalene production by blocking the competitive branched pathways and expressing rate-limiting enzymes in Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

Squalene is a medically valuable bioactive compound that can be used as a raw material for fuels. Microbial fermentation is the preferred method for the squalene production. In this study, we employed several metabolic engineering strategies to increase squalene yield in Rhodopseudomonas palustris. A 57% increase in squalene titer was achieved by blocking the carotenoid pathway, thus directing more FPP into the squalene biosynthetic pathway. In order to cut down the conversion of squalene to haponoids, a recombinant strain R. palustris [Δshc, ΔcrtB] in which both carotenoid and haponoid pathways were blocked was then constructed, resulting in a 50-fold increase in squalene titer. Based on the expression of rate-limiting enzymes involved in the squalene pathway, the final squalene content reached 23.3 mg/g DCW, which was 178-times higher than that of the wild-type strain. In this study, several methods effective in improving squalene yield have been described and the potential of R. palustris for producing squalene has been demonstrated.