Metabolic engineering of Klebsiella pneumoniae and in silico investigation for enhanced 2,3-butanediol production

Abstract

To improve the production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) in Klebsiella pneumoniae, the genes related to the formation of lactic acid, ethanol, and acetic acid were eliminated. Although the cell growth and 2,3-BD production rates of the K. pneumoniae Delta ldhA Delta adhE Delta pta-ackA strain were lower than those of the wild-type strain, the mutant produced a higher titer of 2,3-BD and a higher yield in batch fermentation: 91 g 2,3-BD/l with a yield of 0.45 g per g glucose and a productivity of 1.62 g/l.h in fed-batch fermentation. The metabolic characteristics of the mutants were consistent with the results of in silico simulation. K. pneumoniae knockout mutants developed with an aid of in silico investigation could produce higher amounts of 2,3-BD with increased titer, yield, and productivity