Background Esters are versatile chemicals and potential drop-in biofuels. To develop a sustainable production platform, microbial ester biosynthesis using alcohol acetyltransferases (AATs) has been studied for decades. Volatility of esters endows high-temperature fermentation with advantageous downstream product separation. However, due to the limited thermostability of AATs known, the ester biosynthesis has largely relied on use of mesophilic microbes. Therefore, developing thermostable AATs is important for ester production directly from lignocellulosic biomass by the thermophilic consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) microbes, e.g., Clostridium thermocellum. Results In this study, we engineered a thermostable chloramphenicol acetyltransferase from Staphylococcus aureus (CATSa) for enhanced isobutyl acetate production at elevated temperatures. We first analyzed the broad alcohol substrate range of CATSa. Then, we targeted a highly conserved region in the binding pocket of CATSa for mutagenesis. The mutagenesis revealed that F97W significantly increased conversion of isobutanol to isobutyl acetate. Using CATSa F97W, we demonstrated direct conversion of cellulose into isobutyl acetate by an engineered C. thermocellum at elevated temperatures. Conclusions This study highlights that CAT is a potential thermostable AAT that can be harnessed to develop the thermophilic CBP microbial platform for biosynthesis of designer bioesters directly from lignocellulosic biomass.

Acetic acid is an abundant material that can be used as a carbon source by microorganisms. Despite its abundance, its toxicity and low energy content make it hard to utilize as a sole carbon source for biochemical production. To increase acetate utilization and isobutanol production with engineered Escherichia coli, the feasibility of utilizing acetate and metabolic engineering was investigated. The expression of acs, pckA, and maeB increased isobutanol production by up to 26%, and the addition of TCA cycle intermediates indicated that the intermediates can enhance isobutanol production. For isobutanol production from acetate, acetate uptake rates and the NADPH pool were not limiting factors compared to glucose as a carbon source. This work represents the first approach to produce isobutanol from acetate with pyruvate flux optimization to extend the applicability of acetate. This technique suggests a strategy for biochemical production utilizing acetate as the sole carbon source.

Cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane) is an important industrial chemical with a wide range of applications. Although there have been many efforts to produce cadaverine through fermentation, there are not many reports of the direct cadaverine production from lysine using biotransformation. Whole-cell reactions were examined using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain overexpressing the E. coli MG1655 cadA gene, and various parameters were investigated for the whole-cell bioconversion of lysine to cadaverine. A high concentration of lysine resulted in the synthesis of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) and it was found to be a critical control factor for the biotransformation of lysine to cadaverine. When 0.025 mM PLP and 1.75 M lysine in 500 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH6) were used, consumption of 91% lysine and conversion of about 80% lysine to cadaverine were successfully achieved.

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is one of the most well-known metal-reducing bacteria and it has been extensively studied for microbial fuel cell and bioremediation aspects. In this study, we have examined S. oneidensis MR-1 as an isobutanol-producing host by assessing three key factors such as isobutanol synthetic genes, carbon sources, and electron supply systems. Heterologous Ehrlich pathway genes, kivD encoding ketoisovalerate decarboxylase and adh encoding alcohol dehydrogenase, were constructed in S. oneidensis MR-1. Among the composition of carbon sources examined, 2% of N-acetylglucosamine, 1.5% of pyruvate and 2% of lactate were found to be the most optimal nutrients and resulted in 10.3 mg/L of isobutanol production with 48 h of microaerobic incubation. Finally, the effects of metal ions (electron acceptor) and direct electron transfer systems on isobutanol production were investigated, and Fe(2+) ions increased the isobutanol production up to 35%. Interestingly, deletion of mtrA and mtrB, genes responsible for membrane transport systems, did not have significant impact on isobutanol production. Finally, we applied engineered S. oneidensis to a bioelectrical reactor system to investigate the effect of a direct electron supply system on isobutanol production, and it resulted in an increased growth and isobutanol production (up to 19.3 mg/L). This report showed the feasibility of S. oneidensis MR-1 as a genetic host to produce valuable biochemicals and combine an electron-supplying system with biotechnological applications.