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CELL-BASED OVER-EXPRESSION OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND AMINO ACIDS OF INDUSTRIAL INTEREST

Detailed Technology Description

ApplicationGeneticengineering of cells of essentially any organism (mammal, bacteria, yeast,fungi, etc.) for the over-production of carboxylic acids and amino acids producedin the TCA cycle.   ProblemsAddressed    (benefits/advantages)Production of oxaloacetate-derived commodity chemicals viabiofermentation is subject to the stringent metabolic regulation of carbon flowin the TCA cycle which can limit process yields. Carbon flux towards oxaloacetate(OAA) remains constant regardless of system perturbations. In typicalprocesses, production of  OAA remainsconstant and product yields are relatively low. Hence, a tremendous opportunityexists to improve the process by overcoming the metabolic regulation of carbonflow. Anaerobic fermentation processes can be used to produce oxaloacetate-derivedorganic acids such as malate, fumarate, and succinate, as well as amino acidsand their derivatives.

*Abstract

TechnologySummary

Using metabolicengineering of microbes, UGA researchers have devised a method to greatlyincrease the carbon flow toward oxaloacetate and thus greatly enhance theexogenous production of bulk biochemicals, such as malate, keto-glutarate,oxaloacetate, citrate, isocitrate, hydroxypropionic acid, L-methionine amongothers in microbial fermentations. Carbon flow is redirected by geneticallyengineering the cells to over-express the enzyme pyruvate carboxylase. Themethod is applicable to bacteria, yeasts, fungi and other cells. The inventionprovides for the production of certain C₃,C₄ and C₅ acids, diacids, triacids, biofuels,L-methionine and other commodity chemicals, in industrial scale.

Country/Region

USA