Stability of a Mutualistic Escherichia coli Co-Culture During Violacein Production Depends on the Kind of Carbon Source.

ABSTRACT: The L-tryptophan-derived purple pigment violacein (VIO) is produced in recombinant bacteria and studied for its versatile applications. Microbial synthetic co-cultures are gaining more importance as efficient factories for synthesizing high-value compounds. In this work, a mutualistic and cross-feeding Escherichia coli co-culture is metabolically engineered to produce VIO. The strains are genetically modified by auxotrophies in the tryptophan (TRP) pathway to enable a metabolic division of labor. Therein, one strain produces anthranilate (ANT) and the other transforms it into TRP and further to VIO. Population dynamics and stability depend on the choice of carbon source, impacting the presence and thus exchange of metabolites as well as overall VIO productivity. Four carbon sources

SUBMITTER: Schick S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11464148 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature