Bio-based polyamides through fermentation

Bio-based polymers are in the heart of a future-oriented, sustainable bio-economy in order to replace conventional petrochemical plastics based on limited fossil resources. Against this background, the project aims for innovative polyamides on a biological basis, thereby covering the entire value chain: from renewables to consumer products. Hereby, we cooperate with different industrial partners along the value chain: BASF, Daimler AG, Fischer GmbH and Robert Bosch GmbH. The focus of our work within the consortium is the development of a fermentation route to obtain bio-based monomers, building blocks of the desired biopolymers. Particularly, we are interested in the development of a designer bug that forms the product at attractive titer, yield and productivity from different feed stocks, i.e. global metabolic optimization of the soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum into an efficient production strain for the carbon-five diamine diaminopentane, serving as building block for the novel, fully bio-based polyamide PA5.10.

• Multi-omics analyses of C. glutamicum (fluxome, metabolome, transcriptome)
• In-silico pathway analysis (genome-scale modeling, elementary flux modes)
• Systems biology optimization of C. glutamicum into a cell factory for diaminopentane
• Use of non-food raw materials based on hemicellulose for sustainable production

Publications

Kind S, Neubauer S, Becker J, Yamamoto M, Völkert M, Weong WK, von Abendroth G, Schröder H, Häfner S, Zelder O, Wittmann C (2014) From zero to hero - Production of bio-based nylon from renewable resources using engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. Met. Eng. 25:113-123. Link.

Buschke, N, Schäfer R, Becker J, Wittmann C (2013) Metabolic engineering of industrial platform microorganisms for biorefinery applications - optimization of substrate spectrum and process robustness by rational and evolutive strategies. Biores. Technol. 135:544-554. Link.

Buschke N, Becker J, Schäfer R, Kiefer P, Biedendieck R, Wittmann C (2013) Systems metabolic engineering of xylose-utilizing Corynebacterium glutamicum for production of 1,5-diaminopentane. Biotechnol J. 8:557-570. Link.

Kind S, Wittmann C (2011) Bio-based production of the platform chemical 1,5-diaminopentane. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 91:1287-1296. Link.

Kind S, Kreye S, Wittmann C (2011) Metabolic engineering of cellular transport for overproduction of the platform chemical 1,5-diaminopentane in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Metab Eng. 13:617-627. Link.

Kind S, Jeong WK, Schröder H, Wittmann C. (2010) Systems-wide metabolic pathway engineering in Corynebacterium glutamicum for bio-based production of diaminopentane. Metab Eng. 12:341-351. Link.

Partners