METABOLICALLY ENGINEERED ESCHERICHIA COLI FOR DEGRADATION OF TOXIC RESIDUES OF NITRO-PHENOLS AND OTHER AROMATIC COMPOUDNS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

摘要

An open reading frame (Orf243) which is known to express within the genomic island of spingobium fuliginis ATCC27551 when expressed in E coli allowed it to grow on p-. nitrophenol. Expression of Orf243 in E. coli has been shown to induce a novel sRNA, seco10054A. It has been now shown that the sRNA, SecolOO inhibits translation of Lpd subunit, a key component in pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-keto glutarate dehydrogenase in the metabolic pathways. In the absence of these key regulatory enzymes, the glycosls and TCA cycle pathways are down-regulated resulting into E coli cells to grow using aromatic compounds like nitrophenols as source of carbon. The existence of sRNA, seco10054A which induce metabolic diversion wherein ceils preferentially use aromatic compounds than glucose allows metabolically engineering of E coli capable of expressing orf243 or sRNA, eco10054A to use it as a tool for elimination of toxic residues of nitrophenols.