Journal article
Point mutation of the xylose reductase (XR) gene reduces xylitol accumulation and increases citric acid production in Aspergillus carbonarius
Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology, Vol.41(4), pp.733-739
2014
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/114577
PMCID: PMC3953602
PMID: 24570325
Abstract
Aspergillus carbonarius
accumulates xylitol when it grows on
d
-xylose. In fungi,
d
-xylose is reduced to xylitol by the NAD(P)H-dependent xylose reductase (XR). Xylitol is then further oxidized by the NAD
+
-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH). The cofactor impairment between the XR and XDH can lead to the accumulation of xylitol under oxygen-limiting conditions. Most of the XRs are NADPH dependent and contain a conserved Ile-Pro-Lys-Ser motif. The only known naturally occurring NADH-dependent XR (from
Candida parapsilosis
) carries an arginine residue instead of the lysine in this motif. In order to overcome xylitol accumulation in
A. carbonarius
a Lys-274 to Arg point mutation was introduced into the XR with the aim of changing the specificity toward NADH. The effect of the genetic engineering was examined in fermentation for citric acid production and xylitol accumulation by using
d
-xylose as the sole carbon source. Fermentation with the mutant strain showed a 2.8-fold reduction in xylitol accumulation and 4.5-fold increase in citric acid production compared to the wild-type strain. The fact that the mutant strain shows decreased xylitol levels is assumed to be associated with the capability of the mutated XR to use the NADH generated by the XDH, thus preventing the inhibition of XDH by the high levels of NADH and ensuring the flux of xylose through the pathway. This work shows that enhanced production of citric acid can be achieved using xylose as the sole carbon source by reducing accumulation of other by-products, such as xylitol.
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Details
- Title
- Point mutation of the xylose reductase (XR) gene reduces xylitol accumulation and increases citric acid production in Aspergillus carbonarius
- Creators
- István Weyda - Section for Sustainable Biotechnology, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A. C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, DenmarkMette Lübeck - Section for Sustainable Biotechnology, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A. C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, DenmarkBirgitte K Ahring - Section for Sustainable Biotechnology, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A. C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, DenmarkPeter S Lübeck - Section for Sustainable Biotechnology, Aalborg University Copenhagen, A. C. Meyers Vænge 15, 2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
- Publication Details
- Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology, Vol.41(4), pp.733-739
- Academic Unit
- Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, School of
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Berlin/Heidelberg
- Identifiers
- 99900547812301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article