HV/HB COPOLYMER PRODUCTION

Abstract: Microorganisms are modified to permit production of HV/HB copolymers from substrates such as glucose by inducing amino acid overproduction in those capable of synthesising and polymerising hydroxybutyrate or adding to an amino acid overproducer the genetic material necessary for it to synthesise and polymerise hydroxybutyrate.

Description: HV/HB Copolvmer Production This invention relates to a process for the production of HV/HB copolymers and for microorganisms for use in such a process. Conventionally the production of a copolymer containing monomer units of both 3-hydroxybutyrate, herein denoted as HB, and 3-hydroxyvalerate, herein denoted as HV, requires the microorganism to be cultivated on a substrate containing propionic acid, or another compound from which the microorganism can synthesise the HV monomer units. Usually, the microorganism is unable to synthesise HV monomer units directly from glucose. In copending European Patent Application No. 90304267.9 it has been shown that certain strains of the species Rhodococcus are able to synthesise both HV and HB monomer units from glucose, thereby producing and accumulating HV/HB copolymers. It is also known that certain strains of specific species of the coryneform group of microorganisms, e.g. Corvnebacterium glutamicum. are able to be used industrially to produce amino acids by fermentation. We have discovered that those strains of the species Rhodococcus capable of producing, and accumulatin .HV/HB, copolymers have the characteristic that they overproduce at least one amino acid, specifically at least one of methionine and preferably isoleucine or valine, and that these overproduced amino acids are metabolised to propionyl CoA, and thence to the required HV monomer units. We have found a general method for the preparation of microorganisms capable of producing, and accumulating, HV/HB copolymers which comprises providing within a suitable microorganism the ability to overproduce at least one of isoleucine, methionine and valine. Such microorganisms may then be used in a general microbiological process for the production of HV/HB copolymers, when provided with suitable substrate for example comprising glucose, or a compound metabolisable to glucose. The invention comprises a method of producing a microorganism capable of sythesing HV/HB copolymer when cultivated on a substrate containing a component from which the microorganism can synthesise HV and HB monomer units from a first microorganism which is capable of metabolising the substrate to acetyl CoA and is also capable of degrading an amino acid to propionyl CoA which method comprises when said first microorganism is capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate, but is not capable of amino acid overproduction, inducing overproduction of said amino acid in said first microorganism, and when said first microorganism is not capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate, but is capable of .overproducing said amino acid, transferring to said first microorganism the genetic information necessary for it to synthesise and polymerise HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate from a second microorganism, said second microorganism being capable of producing and accumulating HB homopolymer when cultivated on said substrate. We also provide a method of producing a microorganism capable of synthesising HV/HB copolymer whe$. cultivated on a substrate containing a component from which the microorganism can synthesise HV and HB monomer units, said component being glucose, fructose, acetate, a lactate or ethanol or a suostrate metabolisable thereto from a first microorganism which method comprises when said first microorganism is capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate and degrading an amino acid to propionyl CoA, but is not capable of overproducing said amino acid, inducing overproduction of said amino acid in said first microorganism and when said first microorganism is not capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate, but is capable of overproducing said amino acid and degrading it to propionyl CoA transferring to said first microorganism the genetic information necessary for it to synthesise and polymerise HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate from a second microorganism which is capable of producing and accumulating HB homopolymer when cultivated on said substrate. We further provide a general microbiological process for the production of HV/HB copolymer using a microorganism produced according to the above method, which process comprises cultivating said microorganism on a substrate comprising essentially of glucose, or a compound metabolisable to glucose. Where the first microorganism is one which is capable of producing, and accumulating, HB copolymer when the microorganism is preferably a strain of Alcaligenes. Examples of such strains are Alcaligenes eutrophus NCIB 11599, and NICMB 40124. In particular NCIMB 40124, is preferred in that in this strain the use of propionyl CoA for growth is blocked, thereby giving rise to improved efficiency of HV/HB copolymer production, and also higher percentages of HV monomer in the copolymer. The method for preparing microorganisms in which amino acid overproduction is apparent may include exposure of the microorganism to amino acid analogues such as amino butyric acid, and norvaline. The required mutations may be spontaneous, or may be induced by the use of suitable mutagenic agents such as UV light, ethane methane sulphonate and N-nitroso-guanidine. The microorganism produced according to the method of the present invention may be cultivated, in the general microbiological process, on a substrate in which the component from which the monomer units are synthesised is glucose, or a compound metabolisable to glucose, in particular the component one or more of glucose, fructose, acetate, lactate, ethanol or derivatives thereof. The present invention may be illustrated with reference to the following examples. EXAMPLE 1 - Induction of amino acid overproduction Alcaligenes eutrophus strain NCIMB 40124 was used as the initial strain whichby a mutation process gave rise to an amino acid overproducing mutant. Alcaligenes eutrophus NCIMB 40124 was grown on glucose mineral salts medium for approximately 16 hours at 30 C, until an optical density of greater than 1 at 640 μm was reached. 0.1 ml aliquots were spread on the surface of agar plates containing the same composition but to which had also been added 500 μm per ml of amino butyric acid. The plates were than incubated for 72 hours at 30 C. Those colonies which had grown were then subcultured, and tested as described below for their ability to produce, and accumulate HV/HB copolymers when provided with a substrate in which the monomer component consisted of glucose. 91/18995 -4- EXAMPLE 2 - Isolation of HV/HB copolymer producing mutants. The subcultures of the colonies for Example 1 were cultivated on typical media which contained sources of nitrogen (ammonium salts), carbon (glucose), and trace elements such as phosphate, sulphate, magnesium. The cultivation was allowed to proceed to nutrient limitation, specifically nitrogen limitation as used as in established HB copolymer production. Those cultures which accumulated HV/HB copolymer were regarded as positive. In particular Alcaligenes eutrophus strain PS-10 was isolated. EXAMPLE 3 - Production of HV/HB copolymers Alcaligenes eutrophus strain PS-101 was further cultivated under copolymer accumulating conditions on a medium in which glucose was the sole carbon source. EXAMPLE 4 - Comparative Example 3 was repeated except that Alcaligenes eutrophus strain NCIMB 40124 was used instead of mutant strain PS-101. Typical results obtained from Examples 3 and 4 are as follows: EXAMPLE 5 - Production of Strain NCIMB 40386 . Strain NCIMB 40386 was produced from Alcaligenes eutrophus strain NCIMB 40124 by the following means: A single colony of NCIMB was inoculated into the medium listed in Table 1 containing 1% glucose. The inoculated medium was incubated shaking at 180 rpm at a temperature of 28 * C until the mid logarithmic phase. The cells were harvested by centrifugation, washed with 0.85% sodium chloride solution and re-suspended in 0.85% sodium chloride solution and transferred to a glass petri dish. The cells were exposed to UV light to achieve a 99% kill and then inoculated into the medium listed in Table 1 containing 1% glucose. The inoculated medium was incubated shaking at 180 rpm at 28 * C for 16 hours in the dark to allow expression of the mutations. The resulting population was spread onto agar plates containing the medium listed in Table 2 and 500 μg/ml a- amino-butyric acid. The plates were incubated for seven days at 28 ° C. Resistant colonies were selected which showed halos of satellite growth: the halo indicated that the resistant colonies were excreting a substance which relieved the inhibition for the surrounding sensitive cells. This selection produced strain NCIMB 40386 with the ability to produce and accumulate HB/HV copolymer when provided with glucose as shown by Example 6. TABLE 2 Per Litre Distilled Water 0.5m Phosphate Buffer 20 ml 36% Ammonium Sulphate 5 ml 40% Magnesium Sulphate Heptamydrate 0.5 ml 0.972% Ferric Chloride 0.1 ml Fisons Trace Elements 1.0 ml pH 7.0 Fisons Trace Elements mg Per Litre Distilled Water 2+ Ca 720 Zn 2+ 22 Mn 2+ 25 2+ Cu 5 2- Counter ion SO, 4 EXAMPLE 6 The growth medium listed in Table 2 containing 1% glucose and 500 μg/ml α- aminobutyric acid was inoculated with a culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus NCIMB 40386 produced as described in Example 2. The inoculated medium was shaken using a stirrer speed of 180 rpm and 2" throw at a temperature of 28 ° C for 24 hours. The cells were harvested by centrifugation, washed with 0.85% sodium chloride solution and then resuspended in the growth medium listed in Table 1 containing 1% glucose and replacing the phosphate buffer with 0.5m Hepes buffer. The medium was incubated shaking at 180 rpm, 2" throw, at a temperature of 28 ° C for 48 hours. The cells were harvested by centrifugation, washed with 0.85% sodium chloride solution and freeze dried. The freeze dried cells were ground to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar. lOg of cells were refluxed with 500 mis chloroform for one hour. The resulting solution was filtered under vacuum and the polymer was recovered by precipitation with methanol and water. The polymer solution was slowly added, with mixing to a solution + consisting 2 litres water and 500 mis distilled water. The polymer precipitate was then filtered and dried for 24 hours at 80 ° C. Freeze dried cells were prepared for analysis using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) by extraction in 55% perchloric acid and neutralised with 20% potassium hydroxide. Typical HPLC analysis is given below for Percentage by weight of polymer repeating units based on the total weight of the cells. EXAMPLE 7 - Induction of Amino Acid Overproduction Alcaligenes eutrophus strain H16, a widely available micro organism available for example from NCIMB as NCIMB 10442 was used as the initial strain in a mutation process which gave rise to amino acid overproducing mutants. Algaligenes eutrophus strain H16 was grown on mineral salts medium containing 1% fructose and the resultant cells subjected to UV mutagenesis by exposure to sufficient UV dose to give between 90 to 99% kill. The survivors were inoculated into nutrient broth (0.8% Oxoid) and were shaken whilst being incubated overnight in the dark at a temperature of 28 C to allow expression of the mutations. Following overnight incubation, the colistine technique was used to enrich the population of mutants for auxotrophs. Cells were incubated in the presence of 50 μg.ml colistine for 10 hours. Dilutions of the survivors were plated onto complete medium agar (0.8% nutrient broth and 01.5% NaCl). Replica plating to fructose mineral salts agar (Schlegel H G. Kaltwasser H and Gottschalk G. 1961. Arch. Mikrobiol. 38. 209 - 222) was used to identify auxotrophic colonies. By this means the mutant Algaligenes eutrophus H16-G131 was O91/18995 _-_ isolated. The mutant was found to require isoleucine (Reh M and Schlegel H G. 1969. Arch. Mikrobiol. 67. 99 - 109). A mutant, denoted Alcaligenes eutrophus H16-R3, which was a spontaneous revertant of H16-G131 to isoleucine prototrophy was isolated by its ability to grow on fructose mineral salts medium. This mutant excretes valine and small amounts of leucine and isoleucine. EXAMPLE 8 - Production of HB/HV Polymers by Alcaligenes eutrophus H16-R3 Colonies of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16-R3 were inocculated into 10 mis of nutrient broth (oxoid) and a shake flask preculture was incubated overnight at 30 C. This preculture was then used to inoculate 300 is of 1% fructose-mineral salts medium containing only 0.05% ammonium chloride in a 1 litre flask. The flask was incubated with shaking at 30 ° C . Accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) started immediately after the ammonium chloride was exhausted. The PHA content of the cells reached 45%. Subsequent analysis of the PHA showed that it consisted of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate units, with a 3-hydroxyvalerate content of 4 mole %. The above described preparation of a HB/HV copolymer was repeated using 1% sodium gluconate as the carbon source. A PHA was produced which on analysis contained 8 mole % of 3-hydroxyvalerate and 92% 3-hydroxybutyrate units. NCIMB means NCIMB Limited, 23 Machar Drive, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK AB2 1RY. NCIMB 40386 was deposited on 20 March 1991 with NCIMB. Alcaligenes eutrophus H16-R3 is deposited as DSM 6525 with Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen and Zellkulturen (DSM) , Mascheroder Weg lb, D-3300 Braunschweig, Germany on 15 May 1991. The taxonomy of Alkaligenes eutrophus is given in Bergy' s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Copyright 1984, Published by Williams and Wilkins.

Claims: 91/18995 -8- CIΛIMS 1 A method of producing a microorganism, capable of synthesing HV/HB copolymer when cultivated on a substrate containing a component from which the microorganism can synthesise HV and HB monomer units from a first microorganism which is capable of metabolising the substrate to acetyl CoA and is also capable of degrading an amino acid to propionyl CoA which method comprises when said first microorganism is capable of sythesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate, but is not capable of overproducing the said amino acid, inducing overproduction of said amino acid in said first microorganism and when said first microorganism is not capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated ~ said substrate, but is capable of overproducing said amino acid, transferring to said first microorganism the genetic information necessary for it to synthesise and polymerise HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate from a second microorganism, said second microorganism being capable of producing, and accumulating HB homopolymer when cultivated on said substrate. 2 A method of producing a microorganism capable of synthesising HV/HB copolymer when cultivated on a substrate containing a component from which the microorganism can synthesise HV and HB monomer units, said component being glucose, fructose, an acetate, a lactate or ethanol or a substrate metabolisable thereto from a first microorganism which method comprises when said first microorganism is capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate and of degrading an amino acid to propionyl CoA, but is not capable of overproducing said amino acid, inducing overproduction of said amino acid in said first microorganism, and when said first microorganism is not capable of synthesising and polymerising HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate, but is capable of overproducing said amino acid and degrading it to propionyl CoA, transferring to said first microorganism the genetic information necessary for it to synthesise HB monomer units when cultivated on said substrate from a second microorganism which is capable of producing and accumulating HB homopolymer when cultivated on said substrate. A method according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the amino acid is methionine, valine or isoleucine. A process as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 or 3 in which the microorganism is a strain of Alcaligenes. A process as claimed in Claim 4 in which the strain is of Alcaligenes eutrophus. A process as claimed in any preceding claim in which amino acid over production is achieved by a process which comprises exposing the microorganism to an amino acid analogue. A process as claimed in Claim 6 in which the amino acid analogue is amino butyric acid or norvaline. A process as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7 in which a mutation is induced by ultra violet light. A process for the production of HV/HB copolymer in which a microorganism according to any preceding claim is cultivated on a substrate comprising glucose or a compound metabolisable to glucose. The strain of Alcaligenes eutrophus NCIMB 40326 variants mutants and derivatives thereof. The strain of Alcaligenes eutrophus DSM 6525 variants mutants and derivatives thereof. A culture which comprises one or more strains of Alcaligenes eutrophus as claimed in Claim 11 and 12 and is substantially free from other microorganisms.

Inventors: BYROM DAVID, STEINBUCHEL ALEXANDER, BYROM, DAVID, STEINBUCHEL, ALEXANDER
Applicants: ICI PLC, IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES PLC
Application year: 1991
Main classification: C12P7
IPC codes: C08G63, C12N1, C12P7, C12R1