Polylactic acid (PLA) has been considered as a good alternative to petroleum-based plastic. However, the current process for PLA synthesis is not simple: fermentative production of lactic acid followed by chemical polymerization. Differently from PLA which requires chemical polymerization of lactic acid or lactide, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are synthesized in vivo by PHA synthase which polymerizes various (D)-hydroxyacyl-CoAs generated through diverse metabolic pathways in the cell1. In this study, we were able to show that poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-lactate) could be synthesized in recombinant Cupriavidus necator H16 (formerly, Ralstonia eutropha H16) expressing the Clostridium propionicum propionate CoA-transferase gene2, which allows generation of (D)-lactyl-CoA in the cell3. Also, four representative PHA synthases (type I-IV) were examined for their ability to synthesize lactate-containing polymers in Escherichia coli. This work was supported by LG Chem and by the Korean Systems Biology Research Project (20090065571) of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Further supports by the LG Chem Chair Professorship, Microsoft, and IBM SUR, WCU (World Class University) program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (R32-2008-000-10142-0) program are appreciated.
Yu Kyung JUNG [ Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Program), Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, and Institute for the BioCentury, KAIST ]
Si Jae PARK [ Corporate R&D, LG Chem Research Park, Daejeon, 305-380 / Present address: Green Chemistry Division, Chemical Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Research institute of Chemical Technology ]
Sang Yup LEE [ Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Program), Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, Institute for the BioCentury, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Department of Biological Sciences, BioProcess Engineering Research Center, and Bioinformatics Research Center, KAIST ]
한국생물공학회 [The Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering]
설립연도
1984
분야
공학>생물공학
소개
이 법인은 생물 공학의 발전과 보급에 이바지하고, 회원 상호 간의 연구 협력과 친목을 도모함을 목적으로 한다
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