Development of genetic circuits for enhanced production of methionine in corynebacterium glutamicum

Abstract

In the production of amino acids, biofuels, and pharmaceuticals using microbial fermentation, maintaining the productivity of cells even during industrial scale of long-term fermentation is an important subject that is continuously studied. Methionine is essential for life for the synthesis of protein. Since chemical synthesis requires hazardous chemicals and is obtained as racemic compound (DL-methionine), research on the production of L-methionine using microbial fermentation is becoming attractive. In this study, growth-based methionine biosensor was developed to maintain the productivity of L-methionine by selection of low-producers, when Corynebacterium glutamicum produced L-methionine. Essential genes for cell growth were combined with transcription factors and promoters that recognize and operate by methionine, and it allows genes to be expressed so that only strains that produce methionine can be selectively grown.