Creating Polyploid Escherichia Coli and Its Application in Efficient L‐Threonine Production

Abstract

Abstract Prokaryotic genomes are generally organized in haploid. In synthetic biological research, efficient chassis cells must be constructed to produce bio‐based products. Here, the essential division of the ftsZ gene to create functional polyploid E. coli is regulated. The artificial polyploid E. coli containing 2–4 chromosomes is confirmed through PCR amplification, terminator localization, and flow cytometry. The polyploid E. coli exhibits a larger cell size, and its low pH tolerance and acetate resistance are stronger than those of haploid E. coli. Transcriptome analysis shows that the genes of the cell's main functional pathways are significantly upregulated in the polyploid E. coli. These advantages of the polyploid E. coli results in the highest reported L‐threonine yield (160.3 g L−1) in fed‐batch fermentation to date. In summary, an easy and convenient method for constructing polyploid E. coli and demonstrated its application in L‐threonine production is developed. This work provides a new approach for creating an excellent host strain for biochemical production and studying the evolution of prokaryotes and their chromosome functions.

Keywords

• cell division
• L‐threonine production
• metabolic engineering
• polyploid Escherichia coli
• synthetic biology