Expanding Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120's acyl-CoA portfolio: Propionate production in mineral salt medium

As one of the main precursors, acetyl-CoA leads to the predominant production of even-chain products. From an industrial biotechnology perspective, extending the acyl-CoA portfolio of a cell factory is vital to producing industrial relevant odd-chain alcohols, acids, ketones and polyketides. The bioproduction of odd-chain molecules can be facilitated by incorporating propionyl-CoA into the metabolic network. The shortest pathway for propionyl-CoA production, which relies on succinyl-CoA catabolism encoded by the sleeping beauty mutase operon, was evaluated in Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120. A single genomic copy of the sleeping beauty mutase genes scpA, argK and scpB combined with the deletion of the methylcitrate synthase PVLB_08385 was sufficient to observe propionyl-CoA accumulation in this Pseudomonas. The chassis' capability for odd-chain product synthesis was assessed by expressing an acyl-CoA hydrolase, which enabled propionate synthesis. Three fed-batch strategies during bioreactor fermentations were benchmarked for propionate production, in which a maximal propionate titre of 2.8 g L-1 was achieved. Considering that the fermentations were carried out in mineral salt medium under aerobic conditions and that a single genome copy drove propionyl-CoA production, this result highlights the potential of Pseudomonas to produce propionyl-CoA derived, odd-chain products.