Enhanced production of polyhydroxybutyrate by multiple dividing E. coli

Abstract

Background: Most bacteria are grown in a binary fission way meaning a bacterial cell is equally divided into two. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) can be accumulated as inclusion bodies by bacteria. The cell division way and morphology have been shown to play an important role in regulating the bacterial growth and PHA storages. Results: The common growth pattern of Escherichia coli was changed to multiple fission patterns by deleting fission related genes minC and minD together, allowing the formation of multiple fission rings (Z-rings) in several positions of an elongated cell, thus a bacterial cell was observed to be divided into more than two daughter cells at same time. To further improve cell growth and PHA production, some genes related with division process including ftsQ, ftsL, ftsW, ftsN and ftsZ, together with the cell shape control gene mreB, were all overexpressed in E. coli JM109