Genetic engineering of the precursor supply pathway for the overproduction of the nC14-surfactin isoform with promising MEOR applications

Background Surfactin, a representative biosurfactant of lipopeptide mainly produced by Bacillus subtilis, consists of a cyclic heptapeptide linked to a β-hydroxy fatty acid chain. The functional activity of surfactin is closely related to the length and isomerism of the fatty acid chain. Results In this study, the fatty acid precursor supply pathway in Bacillus subtilis 168 for surfactin production was strengthened through two steps. Firstly, pathways competing for the precursors were eliminated with inactivation of pps and pks. Secondly, the plant medium-chain acyl-carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase (BTE) from Umbellularia californica was overexpressed. As a result, the surfactin titer after 24 h of cultivation improved by 34%, and the production rate increased from 0.112 to 0.177 g/L/h. The isoforms identified by RP-HPLC and GC–MS showed that the proportion of nC14-surfactin increased 6.4 times compared to the control strain. A comparison of further properties revealed that the product with more nC14-surfactin had higher surface activity and better performance in oil-washing. Finally, the product with more nC14-surfactin isoform had a higher hydrocarbon-emulsification index, and it increased the water-wettability of the oil-saturated silicate surface. Conclusion The obtained results identified that enhancing the supply of fatty acid precursor is very essential for the synthesis of surfactin. At the same time, this study also proved that thioesterase BTE can promote the production of nC14-surfactin and experimentally demonstrated its higher surface activity and better performance in oil-washing. These results are of great significance for the MEOR application of surfactin. Graphic abstract

A low cost synthesis method for functionalised iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia from readily available materials

The synthesis of iron oxide nanocrystals from reagents taken from high street sources using thermal decomposition of an iron–fatty acid precursor in a high boiling point solvent in the presence of surfactants is presented. The nanocrystals were characterised using a variety of techniques including: electron microscopy, X-ray dispersive spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and magnetometry. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is also used to compare the decomposition behaviour of iron oleate and iron palmitate, our nanoparticle precursors. The nanoparticles also exhibit shape anisotropy when prepared under optimum conditions. We show that these nanoparticles have potential in magnetic hyperthermia after transfer to aqueous media via an amphiphilic polymer.

Biosynthesis of the Furanoacetylene Phytoalexin Wyerone in Vicia faba

Feeding experiments using 13C-labelled sodium acetate precursors in CuCl2-treated broad bean (Vicia faba) cotyledons have demonstrated that the furanoacetylene phytoalexin wyerone is biosynthetically derived from seven intact acetate units. A further experiment using sodium [2H3]acetate indicated the head of the chain, and showed the chain is analogous to that of a fatty acid precursor, any chain shortening process from postulated C18 precursors occurring from the carboxyl end. Incorporations of oleate and linoleate were, however, regarded as insufficient to prove the involvement of these compounds in the biosynthetic pathway.