Plasmid expression level heterogeneity monitoring via heterologous eGFP production at the single-cell level in Cupriavidus necator.

A methodology for plasmid expression level monitoring of eGFP expression suitable for dynamic processes was assessed during fermentation. This technique was based on the expression of a fluorescent biosensor (eGFP) encoded on a recombinant plasmid coupled to single-cell analysis. Fluorescence intensity at single-cell level was measured by flow cytometry. We demonstrated that promoter evaluation based on single-cell analysis versus classic global analysis brings valuable insights. Single-cell analysis pointed out the fact that intrinsic fluorescence increased with the strength of the promoter up to a threshold. Beyond that, cell permeability increases to excrete the fluorescent protein in the medium. The metabolic load due to the increase in the eGFP production in the case of strong constitutive promoters leads to slower growth kinetics compared with plasmid-free cells. With the strain Cupriavidus necator Re2133, growth rate losses were measured from 3% with the weak constitutive promoter Plac to 56% with the strong constitutive promoter Pj5. Through this work, it seems crucial to find a compromise between the fluorescence intensity in single cells and the metabolic load; in our conditions, the best compromise found was the weak promoter Plac. The plasmid expression level monitoring method was tested in the presence of a heterogeneous population induced by plasmid-curing methods. For all the identified subpopulations, the plasmid expression level heterogeneity was significantly detected at the level of fluorescence intensity in single cells. After cell sorting, growth rate and cultivability were assessed for each subpopulation. In conclusion, this eGFP biosensor makes it possible to follow the variations in the level of plasmid expression under conditions of population heterogeneity.Key Points•Development of a plasmid expression level monitoring method at the single-cell level by flow cytometry.•Promoter evaluation by single-cell analysis: cell heterogeneity and strain robustness.•Reporter system optimization for efficient subpopulation detection in pure cultures.

Modeling and optimization of lipid accumulation by Yarrowia lipolytica from glucose under nitrogen depletion conditions.

Oleaginous yeasts have been seen as a feasible alternative to produce the precursors of biodiesel due to their capacity to accumulate lipids as triacylglycerol having profiles with high content of unsaturated fatty acids. The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is a promising microorganism that can produce lipids under nitrogen depletion conditions and excess of the carbon source. However, under these conditions, this yeast also produces citric acid (overflow metabolism) decreasing lipid productivity. This work presents two mathematical models for lipid production by Y. lipolytica from glucose. The first model is based on Monod and inhibition kinetics, and the second one is based on the Droop quota model approach, which is extended to yeast. The two models showed good agreements with the experimental data used for calibration and validation. The quota based model presented a better description of the dynamics of nitrogen and glucose dynamics leading to a good management of N/C ratio which makes this model interesting for control purposes. Then, quota model was used to evaluate, by means of simulation, a scenario for optimizing lipid productivity and lipid content. For that, a control strategy was designed by approximating the flow rates of glucose and nitrogen with piecewise linear functions. Simulation results achieved productivity of 0.95 g L-1 hr-1 and lipid content fraction of 0.23 g g-1 , which indicates that this strategy is a promising alternative for the optimization of lipid production.

Impacts of environmental conditions on product formation and morphology of Yarrowia lipolytica.

The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is an industrially important microorganism with distinctive physiological and metabolic characteristics. A variety of external factors (e.g., pH, temperature, and nutrient availability) influences the behavior of the yeast and may act as stress conditions which the cells must withstand and adapt. In this mini review, the impacts of environmental factors on the morphology and metabolite production by Y. lipolytica are summarized. In this regard, detailed insights into the effectors involved in the dimorphic transition of Y. lipolytica, the cultivation conditions employed, as well as the methods applied for the morphological characterization are highlighted. Concerning the metabolism products, a special focus is addressed on lipid and citric acid metabolites which have attracted significant attention in recent years. The dependence of lipid and citric acid productivity on key process parameters, such as media composition and physico-chemical variables, is thoroughly discussed. This review attempts to provide a recent update on the topic and will serve as a meaningful resource for researchers working in the field.

Over expression of GroESL in Cupriavidus necator for heterotrophic and autotrophic isopropanol production.

We previously reported a metabolic engineering strategy to develop an isopropanol producing strain of Cupriavidus necator leading to production of 3.4gL-1 isopropanol. In order to reach higher titers, isopropanol toxicity to the cells has to be considered. A toxic effect of isopropanol on the growth of C. necator has been indeed observed above a critical value of 15gL-1. GroESL chaperones were first searched and identified in the genome of C. necator. Native groEL and groES genes from C. necator were over-expressed in a strain deleted for PHA synthesis. We demonstrated that over-expressing groESL genes led to a better tolerance of the strain towards exogenous isopropanol. GroESL genes were then over-expressed within the best engineered isopropanol producing strain. A final isopropanol concentration of 9.8gL-1 was achieved in fed-batch culture on fructose as the sole carbon source (equivalent to 16gL-1 after taking into account evaporation). Cell viability was slightly improved by the chaperone over-expression, particularly at the end of the fermentation when the isopropanol concentration was the highest. Moreover, the strain over-expressing the chaperones showed higher enzyme activity levels of the 2 heterologous enzymes (acetoacetate carboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase) of the isopropanol synthetic operon, translating to a higher specific production rate of isopropanol at the expense of the specific production rate of acetone. Over-expressing the native chaperones led to a 9-18% increase in the isopropanol yield on fructose.

Influence of oxygen availability on the metabolism and morphology of Yarrowia lipolytica: insights into the impact of glucose levels on dimorphism.

Dynamic behavior of Yarrowia lipolytica W29 strain under conditions of fluctuating, low, and limited oxygen supply was characterized in batch and glucose-limited chemostat cultures. In batch cultures, transient oscillations between oxygen-rich and -deprived environments induced a slight citric acid accumulation (lower than 29 mg L-1). By contrast, no citric acid was detected in continuous fermentations for all stress conditions: full anoxia (zero pO2 value, 100% N2), limited (zero pO2 value, 75% of cell needs), and low (pO2 close to 2%) dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. The macroscopic behavior (kinetic parameters, yields, viability) of Y. lipolytica was not significantly affected by the exposure to DO fluctuations under both modes of culture. Nevertheless, conditions of oxygen limitation resulted in the destabilization of the glucose-limited growth during the continuous cultivations. Morphological responses of Y. lipolytica to DO oscillations were different between batch and chemostat runs. Indeed, a yeast-to-mycelium transition was induced and progressively intensified during the batch fermentations (filamentous subpopulation reaching 74% (v/v)). While, in chemostat bioreactors, the culture consisted mainly of yeast-like cells (mean diameter not exceeding 5.7 µm) with a normal size distribution. During the continuous cultures, growth at low DO concentration did not induce any changes in Y. lipolytica morphology. Dimorphism (up to 80.5% (v/v) of filaments) was only detected under conditions of oxygen limitation in the presence of a residual glucose excess (more than 0.75 g L-1). These data suggest an impact of glucose levels on the signaling pathways regulating dimorphic responses in Y. lipolytica.

Dynamic behavior of Yarrowia lipolytica in response to pH perturbations: dependence of the stress response on the culture mode.

Yarrowia lipolytica, a non-conventional yeast with a promising biotechnological potential, is able to undergo metabolic and morphological changes in response to environmental conditions. The effect of pH perturbations of different types (pulses, Heaviside) on the dynamic behavior of Y. lipolytica W29 strain was characterized under two modes of culture: batch and continuous. In batch cultures, different pH (4.5, 5.6 (optimal condition), and 7) were investigated in order to identify the pH inducing a stress response (metabolic and/or morphologic) in Y. lipolytica. Macroscopic behavior (kinetic parameters, yields, viability) of the yeast was slightly affected by pH. However, contrary to the culture at pH 5.6, a filamentous growth was induced in batch experiments at pH 4.5 and 7. Proportions of the filamentous subpopulation reached 84 and 93 % (v/v) under acidic and neutral conditions, respectively. Given the significant impact of neutral pH on morphology, pH perturbations from 5.6 to 7 were subsequently assayed in batch and continuous bioreactors. For both process modes, the growth dynamics remained fundamentally unaltered during exposure to stress. Nevertheless, morphological behavior of the yeast was dependent on the culture mode. Specifically, in batch bioreactors where cells proliferated at their maximum growth rate, mycelia were mainly formed. Whereas, in continuous cultures at controlled growth rates (from 0.03 to 0.20 h-1) even closed to the maximum growth rate of the stain (0.24 h-1), yeast-like forms predominated. This pointed out differences in the kinetic behavior of filamentous and yeast subpopulations, cell age distribution, and pH adaptive mechanisms between both modes of culture.

Experimental and statistical analysis of nutritional requirements for the growth of the extremophile Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300.

Few studies concerning the nutritional requirements of Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300 have been conducted to date. Three defined media compositions have been published for the growth of this strain but they were found to be inadequate to achieve growth without limitation. Furthermore, growth curves, biomass concentration and growth rates were generally not available. Analysis in Principal Components was used in this work to compare and consequently to highlight the main compounds which differ between published chemically defined media. When available, biomass concentration, and/or growth rate were superimposed to the PCA analysis. The formulations of the media were collected from existing literature; media compositions designed for the growth of several strains of Deinococcaceae or Micrococcaceae were included. The results showed that a defined medium adapted from Holland et al. (Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 72:1074-1082, 2006) was the best basal medium and was chosen for further studies. A growth rate of 0.03 h(-1) and a final OD600nm of 0.55 were obtained, but the growth was linear. Then, the effects of several medium components on oxygen uptake and biomass production by Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300 were studied using a respirometry-based method, to search for the nutritional limitation. The results revealed that the whole yeast extract in the medium with glucose is necessary to obtain a non-limiting growth of Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300 at a maximum growth rate of 0.64 h(-1) at 45 °C.

Isopropanol production with engineered Cupriavidus necator as bioproduction platform.

Alleviating our society's dependence on petroleum-based chemicals has been highly emphasized due to fossil fuel shortages and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Isopropanol is a molecule of high potential to replace some petroleum-based chemicals, which can be produced through biological platforms from renewable waste carbon streams such as carbohydrates, fatty acids, or CO2. In this study, for the first time, the heterologous expression of engineered isopropanol pathways were evaluated in a Cupriavidus necator strain Re2133, which was incapable of producing poly-3-hydroxybutyrate [P(3HB)]. These synthetic production pathways were rationally designed through codon optimization, gene placement, and gene dosage in order to efficiently divert carbon flow from P(3HB) precursors toward isopropanol. Among the constructed pathways, Re2133/pEG7c overexpressing native C. necator genes encoding a ß-ketothiolase, a CoA-transferase, and codon-optimized Clostridium genes encoding an acetoacetate decarboxylase and an alcohol dehydrogenase produced up to 3.44 g l(-1) isopropanol in batch culture, from fructose as a sole carbon source, with only 0.82 g l(-1) of biomass. The intrinsic performance of this strain (maximum specific production rate 0.093 g g(-1) h(-1), yield 0.32 Cmole Cmole(-1)) corresponded to more than 60 % of the respective theoretical performance. Moreover, the overall isopropanol production yield (0.24 Cmole Cmole(-1)) and the overall specific productivity (0.044 g g(-1) h(-1)) were higher than the values reported in the literature to date for heterologously engineered isopropanol production strains in batch culture. Strain Re2133/pEG7c presents good potential for scale-up production of isopropanol from various substrates in high cell density cultures.

Growth of the extremophilic Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11302 using co-substrate fed-batch culture.

Deinococcus geothermalis metabolism has been scarcely studied to date, although new developments on its utilization for bioremediation have been carried out. So, large-scale production of this strain and a better understanding of its physiology are required. A fed-batch experiment was conducted to achieve a high cell density non-limiting culture of D. geothermalis DSM 11302. A co-substrate nutritional strategy using glucose and yeast extract was carried out in a 20-L bioreactor in order to maintain a non-limited growth at a maximal growth rate of 1 h(-1) at 45 °C. Substrate supplies were adjusted by monitoring online culture parameters and physiological data (dissolved oxygen, gas analyses, respiratory quotient, biomass concentration). The results showed that yeast extract could serve as both carbon and nitrogen sources, although glucose and ammonia were consumed too. Yeast extract carbon-specific uptake rate reached a value 4.5 times higher than glucose carbon-specific uptake rate. Cell concentration of 9.6 g L(-1) dry cell weight corresponding to 99 g of biomass was obtained using glucose and yeast extract as carbon and nitrogen sources.

Impact of the environmental parameters on single cell protein production and composition by Cupriavidus necator.

Due to the rapid increase in the world's population, many developing countries are facing malnutrition problems, including famine and food insecurity. Particularly, the deficiency of protein sources becomes a serious problem for human and animal nutrition. In this context, Single Cell Proteins, could be exploited as an alternative source of unconventional proteins. The aim of the study was to investigate SCP production and composition by Cupriavidus necator under various environmental conditions, temperature and pH values. A mono-factorial approach was implemented using batch bioreactor cultures under well-controlled conditions. Results were compared in terms of bacterial growth and SCP composition (proteins, nucleic acids, amino acids and elemental formula). Complementary analyses were performed by flow cytometry to study cell morphology, membrane permeability and the presence of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production. Our data confirmed the ability of C. necator to produce high amount of proteins (69 %DW at 30 °C and pH7). The results showed that temperature and pH independently impact SCP production and composition. This impact was particularly observed at the highest temperature (40 °C) and also the lowest pH value (pH5) providing lower growth rates, cell elongation, changes in granularity and lower amounts of proteins (down to 44 %DW at pH5) and nucleic acids. These low percentages were related to the production of PHB production (up to 44 %DW at 40 °C) which is the first report of a PHB accumulation in C. necator under nutrient unlimited conditions.

Comparison of plasmid stabilization systems during heterologous isopropanol production in fed-batch bioreactor.

Strain robustness during production of recombinant molecules is of major interest to ensure bioprocess profitability. The heterogeneity of populations has been shown in the literature as a source of instability in bioprocesses. Thus, the heterogeneity of the population was studied by evaluating the robustness of the strains (stability of plasmid expression, cultivability, membrane integrity and macroscopic cell behavior) during well-controlled fedbatch cultures. On the context of microbial production of chemical molecules, isopropanol (IPA) has been produced by recombinant strains of Cupriavidus necator. Plasmid stability was monitored by the plate count method to assess the impact of isopropanol production on plasmid stability, depending on implanted plasmid stabilization systems for strain engineering designs. With the reference strain Re2133/pEG7c, an isopropanol titer of 15.1 g·L-1 could be achieved. When the isopropanol concentration has reached about 8 g. L-1, cell permeability increased (up to 25 %) and plasmid stability decreased significantly (up to 1.5 decimal reduction rate) resulting in decreased isopropanol production rates. Bioprocess robustness under isopropanol producing conditions was then investigated with two plasmid construction strategies (1) Post Segregational Killing hok/sok (in Re2133/pEG20) and (2) expression of GroESL chaperon proteins (in Re2133/pEG23). Plasmid stability for strain Re2133/pEG20 (PSK hok/sok) appears to be improved up to 11 g. L-1 of IPA compared to the reference strain (8 g. L-1 IPA). Nevertheless, cell permeability followed the same dynamic as the reference strain with a drastic increase around 8 g. L-1 IPA. On the contrary, the Re2133/pEG23 strain made it possible to minimize the cell permeability (with a constant value at 5 % IP permeability) and to increase the growth capacities in response to increased isopropanol concentrations but plasmid stability was the weakest. The metabolic burden, linked to either the overexpression of GroESL chaperones or the PSK hok/sok system, seems to be deleterious for the overall isopropanol production compared to the reference strain (RE2133/pEG7c) even if we have shown that the overexpression chaperones GroESL improve membrane integrity and PSK system hok/sok improve plasmid stability as long as isopropanol concentration does not exceed 11 g L- 1.

Comparison of the transient responses of Escherichia coli to a glucose pulse of various intensities.

Dynamic stimulus-responses of Escherichia coli DPD2085, yciG::LuxCDABE reporter strain, to glucose pulses of different intensities (0.08, 0.4 and 1 g L(-1)) were compared using glucose-limited chemostat cultures at dilution rate close to 0.15 h(-1). After at least five residence times, the steady-state cultures were disturbed by a pulse of glucose, engendering conditions of glucose excess with concomitant oxygen limitation. In all conditions, glucose consumption, acetate and formate accumulations followed a linear relationship with time. The resulting specific uptake and production rates as well as respiratory rates were rapidly increased within the first seconds, which revealed a high ability of E. coli strain to modulate its metabolism to a new environment. For transition from glucose-excess to glucose-limited conditions, the cells rapidly re-established its pseudo-steady state. The dynamics of transient responses at the macroscopic viewpoint were shown to be independent on the glucose pulse intensity in the tested range. On the contrary, the E. coli biosensor yciG::luxCDABE revealed a transcriptional induction of yciG gene promoter depending on the quantities of the glucose added, through in situ and online monitoring of the bioluminescence emitted by the cells. Despite many studies describing the dynamics of the transient response of E. coli to glucose perturbations, it is the first time that a direct comparison is reported, using the same experimental design (strain, medium and experimental set up), to study the impact of the glucose pulse intensity on the dynamics of microbial behaviour regarding growth, respiration and metabolite productions.

Study of plasmid-based expression level heterogeneity under plasmid-curing like conditions in Cupriavidus necator.

Plasmid expression level heterogeneity in Cupriavidus necator was studied in response to stringent culture conditions, supposed to enhance plasmid instability, through plasmid curing strategies. Two plasmid curing strategies were compared based on their efficiency at generating heterogeneity in batch: rifampicin addition and temperature increase. A temperature increase from 30° to 37 °C was the most efficient plasmid curing strategy. To generate a heterogeneous population in terms of plasmid expression levels, successive batches at supra-optimal culture temperature (i.e. 37 °C) were initially conducted. Three distinct fluorescent subpopulations P0 (not fluorescent), P1 (low fluorescence intensity, median = 1 103) and P2 (high fluorescence intensity, median = 6 103) were obtained. From there, the chemostat culture was implemented to study the long-term stress response under well-controlled environment at defined dilution rates. For dilution rates comprised between 0.05 and 0.10 h-1, the subpopulation P2 (62% vs 90%) was favored compared to P1 cells (54% vs 1%), especially when growth rate increased. Our biosensor was efficient at discriminating subpopulation presenting different expression levels under stringent culture conditions. Plus, we showed that controlling growth kinetics had a stabilizing impact on plasmid expression levels, even under heterogeneous expression conditions.

Co-expression of an isopropanol synthetic operon and eGFP to monitor the robustness of Cupriavidus necator during isopropanol production.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in bioprocesses is suspected to reduce performances, even in case of monoclonal cultures. Here, robustness of an engineered isopropanol-overproducing strain and heterogeneity of its plasmid expression level were evaluated in fed-batch cultures. Previously, eGFP was identified as a promising plasmid expression reporter for C. necator. Here, the behavior of 3 engineered strains (isopropanol overproducer, eGFP producer, and isopropanol/eGFP co-producers) was compared at the single-cell and population levels. Production yields and rates have been shown to be dependent on isopropanol/acetone tolerance. A link could be established between the variations in the fluorescence intensity distribution and isopropanol/acetone production using the eGFP-biosensor. Co-production of isopropanol and eGFP exhibited cumulative metabolic burden compared to single overexpression (isopropanol or eGFP). Expression of eGFP during isopropanol production resulted in lower isopropanol tolerance with a loss of membrane integrity resulting in protein leakage and reduced plasmid expression. The co-expression of heterologous isopropanol pathway and eGFP-biosensor enabled to demonstrate the heterogeneity of robustness and plasmid expression at the single cell level of C. necator. It highlighted the conflicting interactions between isopropanol overproduction and eGFP reporter system. Fluorescent reporter strains, a crucial tool for monitoring subpopulation heterogeneity although biases have to be considered.

Investigation of the robustness of Cupriavidus necator engineered strains during fed-batch cultures.

It is of major interest to ensure stable and performant microbial bioprocesses, therefore maintaining high strain robustness is one of the major future challenges in industrial microbiology. Strain robustness can be defined as the persistence of genotypic and/or phenotypic traits in a system. In this work, robustness of an engineered strain is defined as plasmid expression stability, cultivability, membrane integrity and macroscopic cell behavior and was assessed in response to implementations of sugar feeding strategies (pulses and continuous) and two plasmid stabilization systems (kanamycin resistance and Post-Segregational Killing hok/sok). Fed-batch bioreactor cultures, relevant mode to reach high cell densities and higher cell generation number, were implemented to investigate the robustness of C. necator engineered strains. Host cells bore a recombinant plasmid encoding for a plasmid expression level monitoring system, based on eGFP fluorescence quantified by flow cytometry. We first showed that well-controlled continuous feeding in comparison to a pulse-based feeding allowed a better carbon use for protein synthesis (avoiding organic acid excretion), a lower heterogeneity of the plasmid expression and a lower cell permeabilization. Moreover, the plasmid stabilization system Post-Segregational Killing hok/sok, an autonomous system independent on external addition of compounds, showed the best ability to maintain plasmid expression level stability insuring a greater population homogeneity in the culture. Therefore, in the case of engineered C. necator, the PSK system hok/sok appears to be a relevant and an efficient alternative to antibiotic resistance system for selection pressure, especially, in the case of bioprocess development for economic and environmental reasons.

Accelerostat study in conventional and microfluidic bioreactors to assess the key role of residual glucose in the dimorphic transition of Yarrowia lipolytica in response to environmental stimuli.

Yarrowia lipolytica, with a diverse array of biotechnological applications, is able to grow as ovoid yeasts or filamentous hyphae depending on environmental conditions. This study has explored the relationship between residual glucose levels and dimorphism in Y. lipolytica. Under pH stress conditions, the morphological and physiological characteristics of the yeast were examined during well-controlled accelerostat cultures using both a 1 L-laboratory scale and a 1 mL-microfluidic bioreactor. The accelerostat mode, via a smooth increase of dilution rate (D), enabled the cell growth rate to increase gradually up to the cell wash-out (D ≥µmax of the strain), which was accompanied by a progressive increase in residual glucose concentration. The results showed that Y. lipolytica maintained an ovoid morphology when residual glucose concentration was below a threshold value of around 0.35-0.37 mg L-1. Transitions towards more elongated forms were triggered at this threshold and progressively intensified with the increase in residual glucose levels. The effect of cAMP on the dimorphic transition was assessed by the exogenous addition of cAMP and the quantification of its intracellular levels during the accelerostat. cAMP has been reported to be an important mediator of environmental stimuli that inhibit filamentous growth in Y. lipolytica by activating the cAMP-PKA regulatory pathway. It was confirmed that the exogenous addition of cAMP inhibited the mycelial morphology of Y. lipolytica, even with glucose concentrations exceeding the threshold level. The results suggest that dimorphic responses in Y. lipolytica are regulated by sugar signaling pathways, most likely via the cAMP-PKA dependent pathway.

Availability of the Molecular Switch XylR Controls Phenotypic Heterogeneity and Lag Duration during Escherichia coli Adaptation from Glucose to Xylose.

The glucose-xylose metabolic transition is of growing interest as a model to explore cellular adaption since these molecules are the main substrates resulting from the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, we investigated the role of the XylR transcription factor in the length of the lag phases when the bacterium Escherichia coli needs to adapt from glucose- to xylose-based growth. First, a variety of lag times were observed when different strains of E. coli were switched from glucose to xylose. These lag times were shown to be controlled by XylR availability in the cells with no further effect on the growth rate on xylose. XylR titration provoked long lag times demonstrated to result from phenotypic heterogeneity during the switch from glucose to xylose, with a subpopulation unable to resume exponential growth, whereas the other subpopulation grew exponentially on xylose. A stochastic model was then constructed based on the assumption that XylR availability influences the probability of individual cells to switch to xylose growth. The model was used to understand how XylR behaves as a molecular switch determining the bistability set-up. This work shows that the length of lag phases in E. coli is controllable and reinforces the role of stochastic mechanism in cellular adaptation, paving the way for new strategies for the better use of sustainable carbon sources in bioeconomy.IMPORTANCE For decades, it was thought that the lags observed when microorganisms switch from one substrate to another are inherent to the time required to adapt the molecular machinery to the new substrate. Here, the lag duration was found to be the time necessary for a subpopulation of adapted cells to emerge and become the main population. By identifying the molecular mechanism controlling the subpopulation emergence, we were able to extend or reduce the duration of the lags. This work is of special importance since it demonstrates the unexpected complexity of monoclonal populations during growth on mixed substrates and provides novel mechanistic insights with regard to bacterial cellular adaptation.

Quantitative Characterization of the Growth of Deinococcus geothermalis DSM-11302: Effect of Inoculum Size, Growth Medium and Culture Conditions.

Due to their remarkable resistance to extreme conditions, Deinococcaceae strains are of great interest to biotechnological prospects. However, the physiology of the extremophile strain Deinococcus geothermalis has scarcely been studied and is not well understood. The physiological behaviour was then studied in well-controlled conditions in flask and bioreactor cultures. The growth of D. geothermalis type strains was compared. Among the strains tested, the strain from the German Collection of Microorganisms (Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen DSM) DSM-11302 was found to give the highest biomass concentration and growth rate: in a complex medium with glucose, the growth rate reached 0.75 h(-1) at 45 °C. Yeast extract concentration in the medium had significant constitutive and catalytic effects. Furthermore, the results showed that the physiological descriptors were not affected by the inoculum preparation steps. A batch culture of D. geothermalis DSM-11302 on defined medium was carried out: cells grew exponentially with a maximal growth rate of 0.28 h(-1) and D. geothermalis DSM-11302 biomass reached 1.4 g·L(-1) in 20 h. Then, 1.4 gDryCellWeight of biomass (X) was obtained from 5.6 g glucose (Glc) consumed as carbon source, corresponding to a yield of 0.3 CmolX·CmolGlc(-1); cell specific oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production rates reached 216 and 226 mmol.CmolX(-1)·h(-1), respectively, and the respiratory quotient (QR) value varied from 1.1 to 1.7. This is the first time that kinetic parameters and yields are reported for D. geothermalis DSM-11302 grown on a mineral medium in well-controlled batch culture.

Kinetic and stoichiometric characterization of organoautotrophic growth of Ralstonia eutropha on formic acid in fed-batch and continuous cultures.

Formic acid, acting as both carbon and energy source, is a safe alternative to a carbon dioxide, hydrogen and dioxygen mix for studying the conversion of carbon through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle into value-added chemical compounds by non-photosynthetic microorganisms. In this work, organoautotrophic growth of Ralstonia eutropha on formic acid was studied using an approach combining stoichiometric modeling and controlled cultures in bioreactors. A strain deleted of its polyhydroxyalkanoate production pathway was used in order to carry out a physiological characterization. The maximal growth yield was determined at 0.16 Cmole Cmole(-1) in a formate-limited continuous culture. The measured yield corresponded to 76% to 85% of the theoretical yield (later confirmed in pH-controlled fed-batch cultures). The stoichiometric study highlighted the imbalance between carbon and energy provided by formic acid and explained the low growth yields measured. Fed-batch cultures were also used to determine the maximum specific growth rate (µmax = 0.18 h(-1) ) and to study the impact of increasing formic acid concentrations on growth yields. High formic acid sensitivity was found in R eutropha since a linear decrease in the biomass yield with increasing residual formic acid concentrations was observed between 0 and 1.5 g l(-1) .

Bioreactor culture of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and effects of nitrogen source, inoculum size, and conditioned medium on biomass production.

We report the successful culture of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) suspension cells in a bioreactor. In vitro propagation of this perennial monocotyledonous tree is an important part of the oil palm industry's approach to clonal propagation of high-yielding accessions. During culture of oil palm cells in a batch bioreactor, nutrients and extracellular metabolites were monitored, and kinetic parameters and nutrient-to-biomass conversion yields were calculated. The biomass increased approximately 3.5-fold per month, consistent with values reported for shake flask cultures. Although the carbon source was completely depleted by the end of the run, nitrogen sources remained in large excess and the sugar-to-biomass conversion yield remained low. Linear growth indicated that the cells were limited. The results obtained from the bioreactor runs indicated that we should be able to improve biomass production by carrying out optimization studies. Therefore, we initiated multi-factorial analyses using response surface experimental designs to investigate the effects of different nitrogen sources, as well as inoculum size and conditioned medium, on biomass production in flask cultures. Whereas glutamine does not have a significant effect on biomass production, ammonia has a positive effect up to an optimum concentration. Both inoculum density and conditioned medium have positive, synergistic effects on biomass production.