Characterization of an (R)-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase from Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7: A metabolic tool for enhancing the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate).

Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] has a high potential to serve as a commercial bioplastic due to its biodegradability, thermoplastic and mechanical properties. The properties of this copolymer are greatly affected by the composition of 3HHx monomer. One of the most efficient ways to modulate the composition of 3HHx monomer in P(3HB-co-3HHx) is by manipulating the (R)-3HHx-CoA monomer supply. In this study, a new (R)-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase originating from a non-PHA producer, Streptomyces sp. strain CFMR 7 (PhaJ), was characterized and found to be effective in supplying 3HHx monomer during in vivo production of P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer. The P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer produced from the Cupriavidus necator transformant that harbors phaJ, PHB4/pBBR1-CJ, showed enhanced 3HHx incorporation of up to 11 mol% without affecting the P(3HB-co-3HHx) production when palm oil was used as the carbon source. In addition, both k and k/K of PhaJ were higher toward the C6 than the shorter C4 substrates, underscoring the preference for 3-hydroxyhexanoyl-CoA. These results suggest that PhaJ has a significant ability to supply 3HHx monomers for PHA biosynthesis via β-oxidation and can be applied for metabolic engineering of robust PHA-producing strains.