近日,中科院大连化学物理研究所赵宗保研究员领导的生物质高效转化研究组(1816组)在生物质能源研究中,首次实现葡萄糖和木糖同步利用生产油脂。这一重要研究成果于近日正式发表在《生物燃料生物技术》(Biotechnology for Biofuels,Hu et al., Biotechnology for Biofuels, 2011, 4: 25)上。
Simultaneous utilization of glucose and xylose for lipid production by Trichosporon cutaneum
Cuimin Hu, Siguo Wu, Qian Wang, Guojie Jin, Hongwei Shen and Zongbao K Zhao
Background Biochemical conversion of lignocellulose hydrolysates remains challenging, largely because most microbial processes have markedly reduced efficiency in the presence of both hexoses and pentoses. Thus, identification of microorganisms capable of efficient and simultaneous utilization of both glucose and xylose is pivotal to improving this process. Results In this study, we found that the oleaginous yeast strain Trichosporon cutaneum AS 2.571 assimilated glucose and xylose simultaneously, and accumulated intracellular lipid up to 59 wt% with a lipid coefficient up to 0.17 g/g sugar, upon cultivation on a 2:1 glucose/xylose mixture in a 3-liter stirred-tank bioreactor. In addition, no classic pattern of diauxic growth behavior was seen; the microbial cell mass increased during the whole culture process without any lag periods. In shake-flask cultures with different initial glucose:xylose ratios, glucose and xylose were consumed simultaneously at rates roughly proportional to their individual concentrations in the medium, leading to complete utilization of both sugars at the same time. Simultaneous utilization of glucose and xylose was also seen during fermentation of corn-stover hydrolysate with a lipid content and coefficient of 39.2% and 0.15 g/g sugar, respectively. The lipid produced had a fatty-acid compositional profile similar to those of conventional vegetable oil, indicating that it could have potential as a raw material for biodiesel production. Conclusion Efficient lipid production with simultaneous consumption of glucose and xylose was achieved in this study. This process provides an exciting opportunity to transform lignocellulosic materials into biofuel molecules, and should also encourage further study to elucidate this unique sugar-assimilation mechanism.