P92: Metabolic engineering of Moritella marina MP-1 for Docosahexaenoic acid Production

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Δ, 22:6 4,7,10,13,16,19), play an important role as a beneficial fatty acid in a number of aspects of  human health with numerous industrial applications. However, the safe, sustainable supply of these acids is questionable.  Therefore, there is a need for an alternative production method for these polyunsaturated fatty acids. A number of different strategies have been considered, with one of the most promising being fermentative production of DHA. With a considerable progress towards this goal, we have pursued the use of the marine bacterium (Moritella marina MP-1) to produce DHA from sugars.  Fermentation parameters for biomass and DHA production from Moritella marina MP-1 in a fermenter (working volume 350 ml) were optimized with different kinds of carbohydrates, pH and temperature. We have found that DHA production is decreased in the presence of glucose; this effect is undesirable, given the attractiveness of glucose as a substrate for commercial DHA production. The use of quantitative polymerase chain reaction to investigate the effect of glucose on expression of the pfa pathway demonstrates our ability to work with the organism, proof of concept and test hypothesis regarding DHA production to increase its yield.