Biopolymers, such as poly-3-hydroxy-butyrate (P(3HB)) are produced as a carbon store in an array of organisms and exhibit characteristics which are similar to oil-derived plastics, yet have the added advantages of biodegradability and biocompatibility. Despite these advantages, P(3HB) production is currently more expensive than the production of oil-derived plastics, and therefore more efficient P(3HB) production processes are required. In this study, we describe the model-guided design and experimental characterization of several engineered P(3HB) producing operons. In particular, we describe the characterization of a novel hybrid phaCAB operon that consists of a dual promoter (native and J23104) and RBS (native and B0034) design. P(3HB) production was around six-fold higher in hybrid phaCAB engineered Escherichia coli in comparison to E. coli engineered with the native phaCAB operon from Ralstonia eutropha H16. The hybrid phaCAB operon represents a step towards the more efficient production of P(3HB), which has an array of applications from 3D printing to tissue engineering.
Characterization of an extracellular lipase and its chaperone from Ralstonia eutropha H16