Poly(3-hydroxypropionate) (P3HP) is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic. Previous studies demonstrated that engineered Escherichia coli strains can produce P3HP with supplementation of expensive vitamin B12. The present study examined the production of P3HP from glycerol in the recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain, which naturally synthesizes vitamin B12. The genes glycerol dehydratase and its reactivation factor (dhaB123, gdrA, and gdrB from K. pneumoniae), aldehyde dehydrogenase (aldH from E. coli) were cloned and expressed in K. pneumoniae to produce 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP), with 2 genes (dhaT and yqhD) for biosynthesis of 1,3-propanediol were deleted. To obtain P3HP production, propionyl-CoA synthetase (prpE from E. coli) and polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (phaC from Ralstonia eutropha) were introduced. Under the appropriate aeration condition, the cell yield and P3HP content were 0.24 g/L and 12.7% (wt/wt [cell dry weight]) respectively along with 2.03 g/L 3HP after 48 h cultivation. Although the yield is relatively low, this study shows the feasibility of producing P3HP in K. pneumoniae from glycerol without vitamin B12 for the first time. The results also suggest that the aeration conditions should be optimized carefully for the efficient production of P3HP.
Keywords: 3-hydroxypropionate; Klebsiella pneumoniae; glycerol; poly(3-hydroxypropionate); vitamin B12.