Optimizing Cupriavidus necator H16 as a host for aerobic C1 conversion

Biological systems capable of converting CO₂ or CO₂-derived, single-carbon (C1) compounds can be used to reduce or reverse carbon emissions while establishing a circular bioeconomy to provide sustainable sources of the fuels, foods, and materials humanity relies on. A robust bioeconomy will rely upon a variety of microorganisms capable of assimilating C1 compounds and converting them to valuable products at industrial scale. While anaerobic microbes are ideal hosts for production of short-chain acids and alcohols, microbes capable of aerobic respiration are well suited for biosynthesis of higher molecular weight products. One such organism is the gram-negative soil bacterium Cupriavidus necator, which has been utilized in commercial production of biopolymers for decades. More recently, its capability of robust, aerobic growth on CO₂ has inspired research efforts that have advanced it toward becoming one of the leading bacterial hosts for C1-based biomanufacturing. This review highlights those efforts in the context of the characteristics that have historically made C. necator an excellent host for industrial bioconversion processes: its metabolic versatility, ability to grow rapidly to high cell densities, and genetic amenability.