Engineering the fatty acid synthesis pathway in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 improves omega-3 fatty acid production

Background: The microbial production of fatty acids has received great attention in the last few years as feedstock for the production of renewable energy. The main advantage of using cyanobacteria over other organisms is their ability to capture energy from sunlight and to transform CO2 into products of interest by photosynthesis, such as fatty acids. Fatty acid synthesis is a ubiquitous and well-characterized pathway in most bacteria. However, the activity of the enzymes involved in this pathway in cyanobacteria remains poorly explored. Results: To characterize the function of some enzymes involved in the saturated fatty acid synthesis in cyanobacteria, we genetically engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by overexpressing or deleting genes encoding enzymes of the fatty acid synthase system and tested the lipid profile of the mutants. These modifications were in turn used to improve alpha-linolenic acid production in this cyanobacterium. The mutant resulting from fabF overexpression and fadD deletion, combined with the overexpression of desA and desB desaturase genes from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, produced the highest levels of this omega-3 fatty acid. Conclusions: The fatty acid composition of S. elongatus PCC 7942 can be significantly modified by genetically engineering the expression of genes coding for the enzymes involved in the first reactions of fatty acid synthesis pathway. Variations in fatty acid composition of S. elongatus PCC 7942 mutants did not follow the pattern observed in Escherichia coli derivatives. Some of these modifications can be used to improve omega-3 fatty acid production. This work provides new insights into the saturated fatty acid synthesis pathway and new strategies that might be used to manipulate the fatty acid content of cyanobacteria.Work in the FDLC laboratory was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO) Grant BFU2014-55534-C2-1-P. MSM. was recipientof a Ph.D. fellowship (BES-2012-057387) from MINECO

The Inhibition Effect of Sodium Glutarate towards Carbon Steel Corrosion in Neutral Aqueous Solutions

The inhibition effect of sodium glutarate towards corrosion of carbon steel in neutral 0.02 M NaCl solution was investigated with potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance measurements. Results of electrochemical measurements revealed a poor inhibitive action for low concentrations (1 mM and 5 mM) and a significant improvement in efficiency for concentrations of 32 mM or higher. The protective film exhibited excellent stability in the temperature range 22°C–55°C. Full chemical passivation was accomplished and analysis of the impedance spectra for the high concentrations of glutarate was consistent with the inhibition mechanism which assumes that the carboxylates support the passivation of carbon steel in aerated solutions by plugging the defect sites and that the passivation process is enhanced by adsorption of the carboxylates on the oxide-covered surface. Such mechanism was confirmed by the XPS analysis

Enhanced hydrogen production by a sequential dark and photo fermentation process: Effects of initial feedstock composition, dilution and microbial population

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Enhanced hydrogen production by a sequential dark and photo fermentation process : effects of initial feedstock composition, dilution and microbial population

Two-stage process of dark fermentation (DF) and photo fermentation (PF), using fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) and cheese whey powder (CWP), was used as an approach to enhance the hydrogen (H-2) production. FVW and CWP at C/N ratios of 34, 39, 60, 71 and 82 were tested as substrates for DF. Dilution (1:2, 1:5, 1:10) of the DF effluents was used as a coupling strategy. DF effluents with low-butyrate and high lactate concentrations were obtained as a function of an increased C/N ratio, which results in high H-2 production during the PF. Maximum overall H-2 yields of 793.7 and 695.4 mLH(2)/gChemical Oxygen Demand (COD) were obtained using a 1:10 dilution, at a C/N ratio of 60 and 70, respectively. These H-2 yields were higher than those obtained with the individual processes. The C/N ratio at the DF stage regulate not only H-2 production but also the distribution and concentrations of by-products. These metabolites, in turn, control the H-2 production during the PF. Predominant microbial population for both processes (DF: C/N = 34 Acetobacter lovaniensis, Clostridium butyricum; C/N = 39 C butyricum, Enterobacter sp, Bifidobacterium; C/N = 82 Lactobacillus casei; PF: Rhodopseudomonas palustris) were in accordance with the final metabolic products