S122: Metabolic Engineering of recombinant E. coli for the commercial production of 3-hydroxypropionate

As the demand for fuels and chemicals increases, their production from renewable feedstocks by fermentation becomes a more critical means of supplementing or even replacing traditionally petroleum-based products.  An example is the production of acrylic acid from the biologically produced intermediate 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP). However, metabolic engineering is often required to construct microorganisms with the ability to produce compounds not normally the end-product of metabolism and to redirect metabolic flow towards the desired endpoint.  We have engineered several microorganisms for the production of 3-HP. These engineered micro-organisms and bioprocesses are capable of producing commercially relevant rates, titers, and yields of 3-HP, which will enable the large scale production of biologically derived acrylic acid at production costs competitive with petroleum based sources .