3-hydroxyalkanoicacids (3HAs) serve as monomers for biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and building blocks for pharmaceuticals and chemicals. We have established a novel platform pathway in E. coli for stereospecific synthesis of straight and branched chain 3HAs using glucose and small acid molecules as starting materials and using this, have previously reported the biosynthesis of the valuable pharmaceutical building block 3-hydroxybutyrolactone and novel PHA monomers 3-hydroxyhexanoicacid and 4-methyl-3-hydroxyvalericacid. Since then, we have employed alternative pathway enzymes to improve productivity and versatility and have uncovered a novel activity exhibited by the key carbon-carbon bond forming thiolase enzyme that may be effectively used to further enhance the product array accessible with this pathway. Using this, we have now demonstrated the synthesis of yet another novel monomer for branched PHAs.  Efforts to further exploit this novel activity for extending the pathway towards additional value-added products and to enhance productivity through protein engineering will be discussed.

Exploring a versatile platform pathway for the biosynthesis of 3-hydroxyalkanoicacids as value-added products from biomass in <i>Escherichia coli</i>

245th National Meeting (2013)

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Exploring a versatile platform pathway for the biosynthesis of 3-hydroxyalkanoicacids as value-added products from biomass in Escherichia coli