Enhanced production of succinic acid by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli with amplified activities of malic enzyme and fumarase

Abstract

A pfl IdhA double mutant Escherichia coli strain NZN111 was used to produce succinic acid by overexpressing the E. coli malic enzyme gene (sfcA). This strain, however, produced a large amount of malic acid as well as succinic acid. After the analyses of the metabolic pathways, the fumB gene encoding the anaerobic fumarase of E. coli was co-amplified to solve the problem of malic acid accumulation. A plasmid, pTrcMLFu, was constructed, which contains an artificial operon (sfcA-fumB) under the control of the inducible trc promoter. From the batch culture of recombinant E. coli NZN111 harboring pTrcMLFu, 7 g/L of succinic acid was produced from 20 g/L of glucose, with no accumulation of malic acid. From the metabolic flux analysis the strain was found under reducing power limiting conditions by severe reorientation of metabolic fluxes.