A synthetic growth switch based on controlled expression of RNA polymerase

We present an application of the growth switch in which both the wild-type E. coli strain and our modified strain are endowed with the capacity to produce glycerol when growing on glucose. Cells in which growth has been switched off continue to be metabolically active and harness the energy gain to produce glycerol at a twofold higher yield than in cells with natural control of RNA polymerase expression. Remarkably, without any further optimization, the improved yield is close to the theoretical maximum computed from a flux balance model of E. coli metabolism. The proposed synthetic growth switch is a promising tool for gaining a better understanding of bacterial physiology and for applications in synthetic biology and biotechnology.

Source: Molecular Systems Biology - November 23, 2015 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Izard, J., Gomez Balderas, C. D., Ropers, D., Lacour, S., Song, X., Yang, Y., Lindner, A. B., Geiselmann, J., de Jong, H. Tags: Metabolism, Quantitative Biology & Dynamical Systems, Synthetic Biology & Biotechnology Articles Source Type: research