Genetic and biochemical analysis of solvent formation in Clostridium acetobutylicum
The anaerobic organism Clostridium acetobutylicum has been used for commercial production of important organic solvents due to its ability to convert a wide variety of crude substrates to acids and alcohols. Current knowledge concerning the molecular genetics, cell regulation and metabolic engineering of this organism is still rather limited. The objectives are to improve the knowledge of the molecular genetics and enzymology of Clostridia in order to make genetic alterations which will more effectively channel cell metabolism toward production of desired products. Two factors that limit butanol production in continuous cultures are: (1) The degeneration of the culture, with an increase in the proportion of cells which are incapable of solvent production. Currently isolated degenerate strains are being evaluated to analyze the molecular mechanism of degeneration to determine if it is due to a genetic loss of solvent related genes, loss of a regulatory element, or an increase in general mutagenesis. Recent studies show two general types of degenerates, one which seems to have lost essential solvent pathway genes and another which has not completely lost all solvent production capability and retains the DNA bearing solvent pathway genes. (2) The production of hydrogen which uses up reducing equivalents in the cell. If the reducing power were more fully directed to the reduction reactions involved in butanol production, the process would be more efficient. The authors have studied oxidation reduction systems related to this process. These studies focus on ferredoxin and rubredoxin and their oxidoreductases.
- Research Organization:
- Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG03-95ER20196
- OSTI ID:
- 595637
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/20196-T1; ON: DE98004808; TRN: AHC29810%%15
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: [1998]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Small and Low but Potent: the Complex Regulatory Role of the Small RNA SolB in Solventogenesis in Clostridium acetobutylicum
Engineering Clostridium cellulovorans for highly selective n ‐butanol production from cellulose in consolidated bioprocessing