A quantitative metabolic analysis reveals Acetobacterium woodii as a flexible and robust host for formate-based bioproduction
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ABSTRACT: Cheap and renewable feedstocks such as the one carbon substrate formate are emerging for sustainable production in a growing chemical industry. By quantitatively analyzing physiology, transcriptome, proteome in chemostat cultivations in combination with computational analyses, we investigated the acetogen Acetobacterium woodii as a potential host for bioproduction from formate alone and together with autotrophic and heterotrophic co-substrates. Continuous cultivations with a specific growth rate of 0.05 h-1 on formate showed high specific substrate uptake rates (47 mmol g‑1 h‑1). Co-utilization of formate with H2, CO, CO2 or fructose was achieved without catabolite repression and with acetate as the sole metabolic product. A transcriptomic comparison of all growth conditions revealed a distinct adaptation of A. woodii to growth on formate as 570 genes were changed in their transcription. Transcriptome and proteome showed higher expression of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway during growth on formate and gaseous substrates, underlining its function during utilization of one carbon substrates. Flux balance analysis showed varying flux levels for the WLP (0.7-16.4 mmol/g/h) and major differences in redox and energy metabolism. Growth on formate, H2/CO2, and formate+H2/CO2 resulted in low energy availability (0.20-0.22 ATP/acetate) which was increased during co-utilization with CO or fructose (0.31 ATP/acetate for formate+H2/CO/CO2, 0.75 ATP/acetate for formate+fructose). Unitrophic and mixotrophic conversion of all substrates was further characterized by high energetic efficiencies. In silico analysis of bioproduction of ethanol and lactate from formate and autotrophic and heterotrophic co-substrates showed promising energetic efficiencies (70-92%). Collectively, our findings reveal A. woodii as a promising host for flexible and simultaneous bioconversion of multiple substrates, underline the potential of substrate co-utilization to improve the energy availability of acetogens and encourage metabolic engineering of acetogenic bacteria for the efficient synthesis of bulk chemicals and fuels from sustainable one carbon substrates.
INSTRUMENT(S): timsTOF Pro
ORGANISM(S): Acetobacterium Woodii
SUBMITTER: Tamara Tomin
LAB HEAD: Ruth Birner-Gruenberger
PROVIDER: PXD026569 | Pride | 2023-03-08
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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