원문링크: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109671762100118X

연구배경

최근에 온실가스인 메탄을 이용하여 유용 바이오화합물을 생산하려고 하는 연구가 활발하게 수행됨. 특히 자연계에서 상호작용에 있는 메탄자화균의 공생균을 이해하고 활용하는 것은 효율적인 공정 시스템 개발에 있어 매우 중요함.

연구성과

메탄 생태계를 모방하여 성공적인 메탄자화미생물-대장균 동시 배양 시스템 구축 및 이를 이용하여 유일 탄소원 메탄으로부터 터펜계화합물 전구체인 메발론산 생산.

향후계획

개발한 syntrophic system은 모듈화되어 다양한 생화합 물질 생산으로 확대될 수 있음. 이에 메탄을 이용하여 다양한 터편계화합물을 생산하고자 함.

Abstract

As the bioconversion of methane becomes increasingly important for bio-industrial and environmental applications, methanotrophs have received much attention for their ability to convert methane under ambient conditions. This includes the extensive reporting of methanotroph engineering for the conversion of methane to biochemicals. To further increase methane usability, we demonstrated a highly flexible and efficient modular approach based on a synthetic consortium of methanotrophs and heterotrophs mimicking the natural methane ecosystem to produce mevalonate (MVA) from methane. In the methane-conversion module, we used Methylococcus capsulatus Bath as a highly efficient methane biocatalyst and optimized the culture conditions for the production of high amounts of organic acids. In the MVA-synthesis module, we used Escherichia coli SBA01, an evolved strain with high organic acid tolerance and utilization ability, to convert organic acids to MVA. Using recombinant E. coli SBA01 possessing genes for the MVA pathway, 61 mg/L (0.4 mM) of MVA was successfully produced in 48 h without any addition of nutrients except methane. Our platform exhibited high stability and reproducibility with regard to cell growth and MVA production. We believe that this versatile system can be easily extended to many other value-added processes and has a variety of potential applications.