Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium
Abstract
Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), with nearly 60% of emissions derived from anthropogenic sources. Microbial conversion of methane to fuels and value-added chemicals offers a means to reduce GHG emissions, while also valorizing this otherwise squandered high-volume, high-energy gas. However, to date, advances in methane biocatalysis have been constrained by the low-productivity and limited genetic tractability of natural methane-consuming microbes. Here, leveraging recent identification of a novel, tractable methanotrophic bacterium, Methylomicrobium buryatense, we demonstrate microbial biocatalysis of methane to lactate, an industrial platform chemical. Heterologous overexpression of a Lactobacillus helveticus L-lactate dehydrogenase in M. buryatense resulted in an initial titer of 0.06 g lactate/L from methane. Cultivation in a 5 L continuously stirred tank bioreactor enabled production of 0.8 g lactate/L, representing a 13-fold improvement compared to the initial titer. The yields (0.05 g lactate/g methane) and productivity (0.008 g lactate/L/h) indicate the need and opportunity for future strain improvement. Additionally, real-time analysis of methane utilization implicated gas-to-liquid transfer and/or microbial methane consumption as process limitations. This work opens the door to develop an array of methanotrophic bacterial strain-engineering strategies currently employed for biocatalytic sugar upgrading to “green” chemicals and fuels.
- Authors:
-
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- San Diego State Univ., San Diego, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1239888
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5100-65849
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 6; Related Information: Scientific Reports; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANAYLYTICAL CHEMISTRY; methane; greenhouse gas (GHG); microbial biocatalysis; lactate; applied microbiology; metabolic engineering
Citation Formats
Henard, Calvin A., Smith, Holly, Dowe, Nancy, Kalyuzhnaya, Marina G., Pienkos, Philip T., and Guarnieri, Michael T. Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1038/srep21585.
Henard, Calvin A., Smith, Holly, Dowe, Nancy, Kalyuzhnaya, Marina G., Pienkos, Philip T., & Guarnieri, Michael T. Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21585
Henard, Calvin A., Smith, Holly, Dowe, Nancy, Kalyuzhnaya, Marina G., Pienkos, Philip T., and Guarnieri, Michael T. Tue .
"Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21585. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1239888.
@article{osti_1239888,
title = {Bioconversion of methane to lactate by an obligate methanotrophic bacterium},
author = {Henard, Calvin A. and Smith, Holly and Dowe, Nancy and Kalyuzhnaya, Marina G. and Pienkos, Philip T. and Guarnieri, Michael T.},
abstractNote = {Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), with nearly 60% of emissions derived from anthropogenic sources. Microbial conversion of methane to fuels and value-added chemicals offers a means to reduce GHG emissions, while also valorizing this otherwise squandered high-volume, high-energy gas. However, to date, advances in methane biocatalysis have been constrained by the low-productivity and limited genetic tractability of natural methane-consuming microbes. Here, leveraging recent identification of a novel, tractable methanotrophic bacterium, Methylomicrobium buryatense, we demonstrate microbial biocatalysis of methane to lactate, an industrial platform chemical. Heterologous overexpression of a Lactobacillus helveticus L-lactate dehydrogenase in M. buryatense resulted in an initial titer of 0.06 g lactate/L from methane. Cultivation in a 5 L continuously stirred tank bioreactor enabled production of 0.8 g lactate/L, representing a 13-fold improvement compared to the initial titer. The yields (0.05 g lactate/g methane) and productivity (0.008 g lactate/L/h) indicate the need and opportunity for future strain improvement. Additionally, real-time analysis of methane utilization implicated gas-to-liquid transfer and/or microbial methane consumption as process limitations. This work opens the door to develop an array of methanotrophic bacterial strain-engineering strategies currently employed for biocatalytic sugar upgrading to “green” chemicals and fuels.},
doi = {10.1038/srep21585},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Feb 23 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Tue Feb 23 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}
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