Effect of Overexpressing Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase on Succinic Acid Production in Esherichia coli

Abstract

Succinic acid has various uses as a precursor for industrially important chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and biopolymers.Among those, native succinic acid producers including Mannheimia succiniciproducens were found to contain phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase as a main catalyst for the carboxylation of PEP yielding oxaloacetate, a key intermediate for succinic acid. Hence, we employed M. succiniciproducens PEP carboxykinase toE. coli which produced succinic acid by enhancing PEP pool under the anaerobic condition. Consequently, we found the advantages of using PEP carboxykinase from M. succiniciproducensand developed enhanced succinic acid producing E. coli strain in the aspect of both productivity and yield with reduced amounts of byproducts.