Metabolomics-based profiling of three terminal alkene-producing Jeotgalicoccus spp. during different growth phase

Production of terminal alkenes by microbes has gained importance due to its role as a chemical feedstock in commercial industries. Jeotgalicoccus species has been widely unexplored despite being well-known as a natural producer of terminal alkene, catalyzing the one-step fatty acid decarboxylation reaction by OleT_JE cytochrome P450. In this study, widely targeted ion-pair LC-MS/MS was used to monitor central carbon metabolism of Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans JCM 5429, Jeotgalicoccus huakuii JCM 8176, and Jeotgalicoccus psychrophilus JCM 5429 at logarithmic and stationary phases. Growth and production profile of terminal alkene, alcohols and organic acids were also measured. Among the three strains used in this study, J. halotolerans and J. psychrophilus showed higher terminal alkene production compared to J. huakuii. All strains achieved maximum terminal alkene production at logarithmic phase and therefore, detailed analysis of the metabolite profiles of the three strains were performed in logarithmic phase. PCA analysis showed that the strains were discriminated based on their ability to produce terminal alkene along PC1 and some of the important metabolites corresponding to this separation is the acetyl-CoA and 2-oxoglutarate. This study is the first report on metabolite profiling of three Jeotgalicoccus spp. in different growth phases. The results from this study can provide a better understanding of the changes that occur in the metabolome level during growth and production of terminal alkene in Jeotgalicoccus species.