Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol.45, No.3, 363-370, 1996
Production of a Novel Copolyester of 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid and Medium-Chain Length 3-Hydroxyalkanaic Acids by Pseudomonas Sp-61-3 from Sugars
Pseudomonas sp. 61-3 (isolated from soil) produced a polyester consisting of 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3HB) and of medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids (3HA) of C-6, C-8, C-10 and C-12, when sugars of glucose : fructose and mannose were fed as the sole carbon source. The polyester produced was a blend of homopolymer and copolymer, which could be fractionated with boiling acetone. The acetone-insoluble fraction of the polyester was a homopolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate units [poly (3HB)], while the acetone-soluble fraction was a copolymer [poly(3HB-co-3HA)] containing both short- and medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoate units ranging from C-4 to C-12:44 mol% 3-hydroxybutyrate, 5 mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoate, 21 mol% 3-hydroxyoctanoate, 25 mol% 3-hydroxydecanoate, 2 mol% 3-hydroxydodecanoate and 3 mol% 3-hydroxy-5-cis-dodecenoate. The copolyester was shown to be a random copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoate units by analysis of the C-13-NMR spectrum. The poly(3HB) homopolymer and poly (3HB-co-3HA) copolymer were produced simultaneously within cells from glucose in the absence of any nitrogen source, which suggests that Pseudomonas sp. 61-3 has two types of polyhydroxyalkanoate syntheses with different substrate specificities.
Keywords:POLY-BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE;POLY(3-HYDROXYALKANOATES);BIOSYNTHESIS;METABOLISM;DEGRADATION;POLYESTERS;OLEOVORANS;BACTERIA;STRAIN;GENES