Metabolic Engineering of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Based on in silico Analyses for the Enhanced Production of 2,3-Butanediol

The production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) was improved in Klebsiella pneumoniae by deleting the pathway genes responsible for the formation of lactic acid, ethanol, and acetic acid. Despite the fact that the cell growth and 2,3-BD production rates of the K. pneumoniae ΔldhAΔadhEΔpta-ackA strain were lower than those of the wild-type strain, the mutant produced 2,3-BD at high titer and yield in the batch fermentation. Under the fed-batch fermentation, the mutant produced 91 g/L of 2,3-BD with a yield and productivity of 0.45 g per g glucose and 1.62 g/L/h, respectively. The metabolic characteristics of the mutants were consistent with the results of in silico simulation. K. pneumoniae knockout mutants developed with the support of in silico investigation could produce enhanced 2,3-BD with high titer, yield, and productivity. [This work was supported by the Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program (No. 10050407) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea).]