Obtaining PDC and other high-added value products from lignin by in silico genetic engineering in Novosphingobium aromaticivorans.

Abstract

Lignin, the second most abundant plant biopolymer on Earth, is produced in large quantities as waste material by many industries. Researchers have studied bacterial metabolic networks as potential candidates for integrating lignin into a biotechnological value chain. The GEM used in this work for metabolic engineering is iNovo479, which simulates the metabolism of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans DSM12444. We have conducted a study on PDC production and found several intervention strategies to help achieve this goal. These strategies include more than just blocking the ligI gene, which has been a well-known approach. Although these new strategies resulted in a lower yield of PDC relative to biomass formed, they led to a higher cell yield than deleting the ligI gene. The research presented in this paper focuses on the production of high-value compounds from lignin. Previous studies have used mutated microorganisms to produce these bioproducts from large amounts of glucose. However, biosynthesis from lignin would improve productivity and make the fermentation process more cost-effective. Through gene knockouts, we have discovered ways to ensure a minimum production of bioproducts such as acetaldehyde, citrate, glutarate, glycerol, phenol, and propanoate when growing the N. aromaticivorans strain using lignin-derived compounds as unique substrates.